After the Storm
by cestlavie0919
Summary: AU: What started as a chance encounter between a prostitute and his John blossomed quickly, bringing together two broken men. Can their lives fit together happily? Can they overcome the demons from their past which threaten to tear apart everything they want? Rated M for heavy themes and sex. Please review.
1. Chapter 1

**Title****:** After the Storm (Part 1)  
**Pairing:** Sterek, mention of Stiles/Scott  
**Rating:** M  
**Type:** Unfinished  
**Genre:** AU, Slash, Prostitution, Angst (future chapters), Romance (future chapters)  
**Words****:** 744  
**Summary:** AU: Derek is an uptight man who prefers paying for sex. Stiles is an unorthodox male prostitute. Can he help Derek loosen up? Inspired by a Destiel Fic called Pretty Angel.

Pulling off his blazer, Derek wondered if he should chill some wine. He had no idea what the etiquette for this sort of thing was. Last time, he met the person in a hotel. He nervously checked his watch before deciding to take it off and put it in his drawer. Ten minutes and counting. Derek could feel the butterflies in his stomach and decided that etiquette or not, he needed the wine and went to the kitchen to pour a glass. Eight minutes until the arrival.

He scanned his apartment, taking a gulp of the wine. Per usual, not a thing was out of place, so he couldn't spend any of his anxious energy cleaning or organizing. Seven minutes. He picked up the newspaper and tried to lose himself in it, but it didn't work. The headlines were just too boring in comparison. Four minutes. The doorbell rang. He took another large gulp and set the glass, now nearly empty, down on the kitchen island.

There was still time for him to back out. And once he opened the door, he could still change his mind, he reminded himself. He could feel the adrenaline pumping through his veins as his hand extended to the door handle. He closed his eyes, inhaled deeply, then opened the door. After a second, he opened his eyes too, taking in the sight before him. He forced his face to remain stoic. The man at the door was slender with somewhat boyish yet handsome features. He was dressed well enough. Everything about him seemed to contrast with Derek, which only intrigued him more.

"Sorry I'm a bit early," the visitor said.

"Oh," Derek replied. "It's alright. Come on in." Derek moved aside, allowing his visitor to enter his home. He observed the visitor closely. "What's your name?"

A smile parted his visitor's lips, flashing the white teeth concealed behind them. "Just call me Stiles. Pretty much everyone does."

Derek smiled and introduced himself before pulling out his wallet. "Three hundred, right?"

"Ah yes, straight to business. I'd heard that about you," Stiles responded. Derek was unsure how to respond, and ended up just staring intensely, at the younger man. Stiles felt compelled by Derek's gaze to explain. "Scott? The last guy you rented? He told me that you're very straight-forward."

Derek merely nodded. Stiles pursed his lips to the side, internally reflecting on the awkwardness he had created. Pulling out six $50 bills, Derek handed them over to Stiles who quickly counted them then put them in his pocket. Cocking his head to the side, Derek asked "So why are you less expensive than Scott?"

Stiles laughed before he realized that Derek seriously wanted an answer, and then he did his best to get back into 'serious mode'. "Well, you've seen him… he's cut! And his package? Also, he's blessed with prodigious skills. He tells me I give better head than him, but honestly, when he's fucking you, it's like he's reading your mind." Both men felt a bit of tightening in their pants as Stiles described Scott. Derek remembered him well. It had been a fun night.

"You two have had sex?" Derek asked.

Stiles laughed. "Oh yeah. There's a client who rents us both once a month and just watches us have sex all night. It's kind of weird, but I've had weirder, I guess."

While Derek loved the visual of Scott with the man in front of him, he felt uncomfortable discussing Stiles' other clients. He finished the rest of the wine that was in his glass and offered some to Stiles.

"Oh, no thanks!" he responded. "I never drink with clients."

"Suit yourself," Derek replied. "Let's move into the bedroom.

Derek led the way and Stiles followed suit. Once inside, Derek sat on the bed and began unbuttoning his shirt. "Oh, allow me," Stiles suggested, sensually disrobing, revealing himself to the man who had rented him for the night. As he dropped his pants, he revealed that he was not wearing underwear. He stared at Derek's intense features and smirked when Derek licked his lips. Stiles approached Derek slowly, almost cautiously. He allowed their lips to connect for a fleeting moment before he separated them, unfastening the tie and letting it drop beside them.

They reconnected, deepening the kiss only slightly as Stiles began the task of unbuttoning the shirt. When he finally slid the garment off his client, he couldn't help but smile.


	2. Chapter 2: Thistle and Weeds

Chapter 2: Thistle and Weeds

Derek was sex in human form. It looked like he had just walked off the cover of a fitness magazine and Stiles returned to the task at hand with newfound fervor. He pushed Derek back onto the bed and began to work at removing the pants, which were now the final blockade between their lusts. Stiles loved the physicality of sex and the skin-to-skin contact, which he worked to maximize after he freed Derek from the cloth that bound him, enveloping him into his mouth with little strain. He felt Derek's hands rubbing through his hair, guiding him on how to best please the man. Derek went from pressing Stiles' face into his pubes to pulling him off entirely, eliciting a frown from the smaller man. "I don't want to finish just yet…" Derek explained before fishing the lube and condoms out of his night stand.

Derek repositioned them both, allowing his body to reign over Stiles' and returned a little of the favor while working one finger into him, preparing him for his night. Wanting Derek to get the most out of his time, Stiles went to stop him. "I usually prepare myself beforehand, if you want to get to it, you can."

Derek glared back. "I like this…" Stiles simply winced as another finger was added. Derek used his other hand to massage the pale skin on Stiles' neck and kissed along his stomach before reaching his cock, his tongue darting over the organ, but not showing it nearly the attention that Stiles had shown him. This drove Stiles wild and made him feel the need to further please Derek. When he was sufficiently prepped, in Derek's eyes, the muscle-bound man removed his fingers and rolled on a condom before positioning himself between Stiles' legs. Slowly he pushed in. Stiles clawed at the sheets. Derek was at least kind enough to stop and let him slowly adjust. When Derek was all the way in, he thrust a bit, staring intensely at Stiles. He'd never been looked in the eyes before while it happened. Even when he was 'performing' with Scott. Encounters were always so impersonal.

Stiles understood exactly why that was. He knew that when clients fucked him, they weren't fucking _him_. They were fucking someone else, or at least pretending to. Most of them never bothered to get his name, yet Derek asked right away. He often allowed himself to get lost in thought during these encounters, yet against his nature, he was actually finding himself to be very present. He reached down and .began stroking himself but Derek quickly removed and pinned his hand. "Oh no," he said in a husky growl. "I'll take care of that later."

Derek kissed along Stiles' neck and collarbones, before playfully biting his nipples. "I'm about to…" Derek started to say before he thrust one more time and emptied himself into the condom. He thrust a couple more times for good measure before pulling out and throwing away the condom. By this point, Derek was covered in a thin sheen of sweat and both of them were a little breathless. Stiles didn't move until Derek crawled back in the bed and laid next to him. He grabbed the call boy's cock and began stroking it with an expert technique. The entire time, Derek looked into his eyes yet again.

Stiles actually realized he was a little uncomfortable by this. "Stop!" he said, getting up off the bed. "What are you doing?"

Derek had a look of confusion, which added to the intensity of his features, just made him even more handsome. "I'm helping you get off."

"I know that," Stiles said. "But people just don't do that. And they don't _look at me_ while we're doing it."

"Well, I do."

"But why?!"

"You're here, aren't you? You should get something out of it," Derek replied. "But if it bothers you that much, then I won't do it."

Stiles could see that Derek was hard again. He'd paid for the entire night, so Stiles crawled back on the bed, and into the same position he was in before. Derek grabbed another condom, but this time he flipped Stiles over onto his stomach and entered him without any of the grace and care he took before. Derek was big, but without the same tenderness he showed before, Stiles now could feel that.

This time lacked all of the kissing and caressing that last time held. Stiles allowed his thoughts to drift off. He realized he should have just let it happen. All too much do clients neglect his needs, yet this one was making a concerted effort to not to that. _Your mouth is going to get you in trouble one day_, he could hear his father's voice in his head.

He was only pulled out of his reverie when Derek pulled out of him. "This isn't working," Derek said. "You're just laying there… it's like you're n-"

"Not even a person?" Stiles finished. "Yeah… I'm used to that."

"Well I'm not," Derek responded, flipping Stiles onto his back again. "Is it usually like that for you?"

Stiles nodded. "But it's cool, because they can fantasize about someone else."

Once again, Derek looked confused. "But they're not having sex with someone else. They're having sex with you."

Stiles smiled a goofy grin. "They don't have sex with me, Derek. They _fuck_ me. There's a huge difference."

Derek kissed him, and when the kiss broke, he said, "I know that I paid for it, but that doesn't mean I can't make it good for you, too. And we're not going to _fuck_. We're going to _have sex_." Once again, Derek entered Stiles and made purposeful movements that hit his prostate each thrust. Stiles couldn't hold it any longer and erupted onto their torsos. The clenching brought Derek to orgasm a second time.

Trying to continue being sexy, Derek suggested they clean up together and got the shower going. The hot water felt good and they spent more time kissing than washing, but when both were clean and dry, they went back to the bed. Derek pulled Stiles close to him and fell asleep with his arm around the smaller man. Stiles, uncomfortable with sleeping alongside a client, waited until he was sure that Derek was sound asleep before sneaking off. He slept with a smile on his face and Stiles couldn't help but think that he looked like a puppy.

He silently got dressed and left the apartment, heading toward his brothel. The clock on Derek's stove said 5:43. Of the $300 Derek paid him, he was only going to see $150, assuming Peter, the owner of the brother… and by extension, all the men who worked in it… was willing to follow the agreement, which he rarely did.

It took him about 45 minutes to walk to the brothel, during which time, he found himself smiling as he remembered the peaceful sight of sleeping Derek. When he opened the doors of the nondescript and somewhat decrepit building, the smell of sex hit him. He was greeted by some of his fellow prostitutes. There were a few rooms where they entertained on-site, and several of those doors were closed and rather loud noises could be heard coming from them. Stiles sighed, climbing the stairs. Peter's office took up the whole second floor because it was also his apartment. The workers were given a free pass to go into the office space to deliver the money. They also had to sign it in, lest they be accused of stealing and suffer the consequences that came with it. Stiles shuddered when that thought crossed his mind. He left the money on the desk and logged it in the ledger.

Peter walked out of his bedroom naked. He flashed his smile. Peter was a handsome man. Well-built and well-hung. He was also borderline psychopathic with truly depraved sexual desires. He made it a point to regularly fuck the merchandise at his disposal, and as a car drove by and enough light shone through the mostly-boarded up window, Stiles could see that another call boy named Jackson was suspended from the ceiling, asleep.

Peter counted the money and checked it against the leger. He wrote a deduction and handed back $50 to Stiles. "I'm docking you because you were late." Stiles felt his jaw clench, but said nothing. Peter strolled over to the suspended man and rolled on a condom, tossing the wrapper on the floor. He entered Jackson, waking the man from his slumber. "The next time your money isn't to me by 6 am, you're going to regret it. Am I understood?"

Stiles nodded his agreement. Peter picked up speed. Stiles knew why he was doing this. It was to show that he could do whatever he wanted to them and they were helpless to fight back. And since Stiles was late giving him his money, he wanted to intimidate young man. "I can't hear your fucking brain rattle!" Peter shouted, not stopping with Jackson.

"Yes sir," Stiles replied and went to leave. He shuddered at the sound of him finishing inside of Jackson as he closed the door behind him. He felt exhausted, mentally, physically, and emotionally so he took one of the rooms on the third floor and fell asleep. The last image in his head was Derek's piercing eyes. It wasn't good for him, but it calmed him.

_Author Note: I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I had a lot of fun writing it. Please review! Also, while I am incorporating some of the other characters in passing, I don't expect that I'll be focusing in on any other than Derek and Stiles, unless it fits the plot well. The next chapter will give some more back story for both our main characters. How did Stiles end up working as a prostitute for Peter? Why is Derek so insistent on being kind to the men he rents? Or an even better question… why is he paying prostitutes? All in good time, my friends!_


	3. Chapter 3: Winter Winds

Derek woke up alone in his bed. It was always that way, but it bothered him a great deal more this time. '_Stiles didn't stay the night with me…_' he thought as he trudged to the kitchen to prepare something to eat. He even had to wonder why it bothered him so much. After all, he _paid_ for Stiles' presence with him in the first place. After he fell asleep, Stiles had no reason to stay. While this answer helped him get through his morning, it wasn't enough to keep his mind off Stiles for the rest of the day. On his lunch break, Derek decided to call the number for the service that led to the arrangement in the first place. He felt adrenaline surge through his system as the phone rang. When the person answered, Derek requested Stiles for that night.

"Unfortunately he's booked for tonight," the person replied. "There's someone else available, though…"

"I don't want someone else," Derek responded. "I only want Stiles. When is he available next?"

Derek could hear papers ruffling before he got his answer. "Two nights from tonight."

"Friday night?" Derek clarified.

"Yes sir."

"Put me down, then." Derek gave his information and then hung up the phone. He felt an anger boiling inside him that Stiles was going to be rented by other people. He knew he shouldn't be that angry, but he simply couldn't help it.

The rest of the day, Derek wasn't able to concentrate on anything. He left work early, picking up Chinese on the way home. As he ate, he took some time to reflect. _Why_ was he so upset by the idea of Stiles being with another person? The man was, after all, a prostitute. But his eyes… they held a look of defiance that made Derek go wild. He couldn't believe that he was falling for this guy after one encounter. This was the reason he paid for sex to begin with… so he wouldn't have to feel **that** pain again. Yet when he closed his eyes, he could see Stiles beneath him, feel their skin touching, smell and hear him in the moment. He felt himself hardening and had to relieve himself.

He wanted to move up… to have the dream life. He was almost there, too. Success was the best revenge and right now, he was exacting his revenge on his ex. That ex made him feel powerless, like he was nothing. But now, he knew different.

* * *

Stiles woke up a little after noon and went downstairs. He saw Jackson, but the blond avoided eye-contact. He checked his schedule. He was booked tonight with someone who usually booked Scott. Danny was manning the desk. "Have you seen Scott?"

"Oh, yeah, he's reserved for Peter for the next two days," Danny gave Stiles a look. None of them liked when Peter reserved them.

"Shit," Stiles growled. "I don't know this man like Scott does… what is he into?"

Danny checked the schedule and his eyes widened. "I've been with him before."

Stiles raised his eyebrows, showing visually that he needed more information.

Danny sighed. "He's very particular. Do not make a sound. Not one. If you do, it makes him angry and then he wants to do more depraved stuff. I accidentally grunted when he fucked me. I spent the rest of the night tied up with some machine fixed with a dildo going into me at high speed until I could do it without making a sound." Stiles closed his eyes and pursed his lips. This was gonna be awful. "He doesn't want any romance. No kissing, nothing. When you get there, just take off your clothes and put them neatly by the door. The man has stamina, so be prepared for that."

"Should I bring a book?" Stiles joked. Danny knew he was joking, but gave a curt shake of the head.

Stiles looked further along his schedule and saw that on Friday, he'd be with Derek. "Danny! Did you take that appointment?"

"Yeah. He called about an hour ago."

"Did he request me, or did he get assigned to me?"

"He requested you, why?"

"YES!" Stiles shouted, punching the air in his excitement. People in the lobby stopped to look at him. Stiles stared awkwardly. "S…Sorry, everyone. Continue what you were doing."

Stiles decided to start getting ready. He had to meet his client at 4:00. He thanked Danny for his help and headed upstairs, showered, and then went back to his room. He'd learned to adequately prepare himself before clients, because they wouldn't always take the time to do it.

He lubed up a butt plug and began to slowly insert it. Peter walked in right as he pushed it all the way in. He was wearing a black X-shaped harness and a pair of leather front-less chaps. Scott was on all fours with a collar and leash next to him, completely nude. This was something Peter did with Scott often. Scott liked the kinkier stuff so it didn't really bother him.

"I'm pretty sure the door was closed," Stiles grunted as he tried to sit up, the plug was a bit uncomfortable for him.

Peter mockingly laughed, closing the door behind him. "A little birdie told me about your excitement to see a client on Friday. Is there something I need to know about?"

Stiles could feel his heart race as Peter sat next to him. "Remember, Stiles… you're his whore. That's who you are. And there's nothing wrong with that."

"Peter, please," Stiles said. "Don't."

Peter's hand stroked Stiles' hair. "You've grown so much since that first chat room conversation. You were still a virgin when I met you… so innocent, and so curious about all things sexual."

Stiles sighed, looking off into space. Peter loved to rub this in his face. He didn't always have to use intimidation on Stiles. Psychological warfare always seemed to work so much better. "I promised I would take care of you and let you explore your sexuality. Have I held up my end of the bargain?"

"Yes," Stiles replied.

"Okay then. Now you need to hold up your end of the bargain. Pass it forward. Help these other people explore their own sexuality," Peter said. He began petting Scott as one might a well-trained dog. "Scott here has able to follow the rules. And up until recently, you have. What's changed?"

"I'm 23 now, Peter. I've been doing this for 5 years. I want out," Stiles sighed.

"You live a dream life, Stiles. You have a steady income, a roof over your head, food in your stomach, all the sex you could possibly want and you get to see me naked any time you'd like. What more could you ask for?"

Stiles knew that Peter was not even mostly joking about being able to see him naked. "I want a boyfriend. I want a 9-5 job. A normal life."

Peter's joking demeanor vanished. "That's not a life you'll have, Stiles. Not anytime soon. Do I need to give you a refresher course?"

Stiles shook his head. Peter pushed Stiles back on the bed, his hand at the younger man's throat. His eyes were wild as he climbed on top of the younger man. "If you ever bring this up again, it won't be good for you. Do you understand?"

"Yes sir," Stiles wheezed as Peter climbed off of him, no longer obstructing his air flow.

"Good. Enjoy your client. Come, Scott," Peter said before walking out and slamming the door.

* * *

Derek drank himself into a stupor two nights in a row, waiting for Stiles to show up on Friday. When Stiles appeared at his door, Derek couldn't control himself. He pulled Stiles in, shutting the door and pressed his lips to Stiles', crushing the smaller man against the wall. "Ive been waiting for you," Derek breathed when their lips finally parted.

* * *

_Author's Note: Sorry it took so long to post this one! I hope you like it! Please review!_


	4. Chapter 4: The Cave

Stiles needed this. He needed the attention that Derek showered on him. Especially after his last two nights. His client was, as Danny had warned, was really demanding. Stiles was just lucky he was able to walk normally today. As Derek laid kisses on his neck, Stiles held him tightly.

"I haven't been able to think of anything but you," Derek breathed, pulling Stiles' shirt off. "I beat off to you three times last night."

"How romantic…" Stiles replied dryly. Derek could tell something was wrong.

"What is it?" he asked.

"It's nothing," Stiles answered, caressing Derek.

"Your heart is beating faster. That's a good indicator that you're lying," Derek insisted.

"It's also a good indicator that I've been making out with one of the sexiest men I've ever seen, now please, Derek, just drop it."

Derek could tell that he wasn't going to get any information out of him so he decided to let it go… for now. He went back to sensually kissing Stiles before parting their lips again. "Are you hungry?"

"Is that your way of telling me you want a blowjob?" Stiles asked.

Derek let out a giggle that seemed to contrast with his very being. "No, that was my way of asking if you wanted to grab some food? I thought that tonight we could eat, maybe watch a movie, and if we feel like it, maybe later we could get physical."

Stiles firmly grabbed Derek's bulge. "I think you already feel like it."

"Here's a tip," Derek replied, "I always feel like having sex."

Stiles thought for a moment and said. "Ok. I'll get food with you. But at least let me take care of that. It's pitiful, really." He knelt down between Derek and the wall behind him. Derek freed his cock from his pants and placed the tip on Stiles' waiting lips. Stiles opened his mouth and Derek pushed it in. Stiles wrapped his lips around it and began to bob up and down, eliciting moans from Derek, who was careful not to push in more, despite every fiber in his being wanting him to. Stiles looked up. Derek saw the big brown eyes looking up at him for direction and it made him melt. Derek began thrusting, losing control. "Stiles… It's…." but he couldn't finish the sentence before he exploded in torrents into Stiles' mouth.

He gave another shudder before Stiles stood back up. "Feel better?"

Derek was still trying to catch his breath and nodded. Stiles pulled his shirt on and tried to redirect. "So what were you thinking for dinner?"

Derek took no time at all to reply. "Italian. There's this wonderful restaurant a few blocks from here. Let me order right now, by the time we get there, it'll be ready. What's your favorite Italian dish?"

Without so much as a pause, Stiles gave his answer. "Fettuccini alfredo."

Derek smiled. "Mine too." He made a quick call, then put his phone away. They walked out of Derek's apartment.

"So aside from the frequent masturbation, how have you spent the last couple of days?" Stiles asked.

Derek grinned, but the grin quickly faded into a tragic smile. "Thinking about you, then drinking so I wouldn't think so much about you."

Stiles wasn't sure how to reply to that. The truth was, he'd spent the last two days thinking of Derek, too. Derek's face was still very serious. Stiles simply grabbed Derek's hand. Derek flinched slightly.

"Not into PDA?" Stiles asked.

"It's not that," Derek sighed. "It's just you remind me a lot of someone. Someone I spent a lot of time trying to forget."

"Is it the way I act?" Stiles asked. "Because I can act differently…"

Derek shook his head, squeezing Stiles' hand. In an imperious low growl, Derek managed to say "I never want you to act like anything other than you, Stiles. Promise me that." Stiles nodded, squeezing back. "It's the way you make me act… and the way you make me feel."

Stiles felt a lump forming in his throat. He wasn't comfortable with this, but he could tell that neither was Derek. He allowed them to just keep walking in silence. He brought Derek's hand up to his lips and kissed the back of it.

The rest of their walk was in silence, even the journey back to the apartment. Derek divided the food among the two on fancy plates. He then stripped down to his boxers and asked Stiles to do the same.

"Nudity and noodles," Stiles joked. "Quite a tone you're setting here, Derek…"

Derek laughed, bringing the plates into the dining room and putting them on the table. "Wine? Or are you still on that 'I don't drink with clients' kick?" Stiles conceded to a glass of wine and Derek brought two glasses into the dining room.

As they began eating, Stiles remarked that the Fettuccini Alfredo was the best he'd ever had. Derek looked like he was struggling with something. "What is it?" Stiles asked.

"I have a question," Derek responded.

"Ok. Shoot."

"Why do you do this?" Derek asked.

Stiles took another forkful of pasta and chewed slowly, trying to think of how to answer. Finally he decided on the truth. "I don't really have a choice."

"What do you mean?" Derek sounded genuinely curious.

"I'm not allowed to leave. I started when I was 18. I met this guy online. I was a virgin. He promised to let me 'explore my sexuality'. He took my virginity and told me that I could have a lot more sex if I wanted. In return, he'd make sure I have a house and food… and safety," Stiles heard his voice crack. "I didn't realize that he was a psychopath. He kept me in his loft for a few days and beat me and fucked me, even when I didn't want him to. He said it was my training. After that my bruises healed, I was rented to my first client. I made a hundred bucks to just lie there and pretend that I liked it. But then I learned that I could get more if I acted more involved. I told Peter that I want to leave… he almost choked me and threatened me if I do. But it's pretty much all I'm good for, so I guess I can't complain too much. And I would never have met you…"

"I'm so sorry," Derek breathed.

Stiles wiped a tear away. "Don't pity me. Seriously. I don't want your pity."

"I can help you, you know," Derek offered. "You can live with me."

Stiles shook his head. "No, I can't. Because I can see how this ends. I'm your live-in fucktoy and we're both scared to death that Peter will find me and you. No."

"You really think I could do that?" Derek asked.

"Well, you pay for sex…"

Derek flinched at that. "Who knew you have claws."

"I'm sorry," Stiles cried. "I just… I can't do this." He put his fork down and pushed the plate away from him.

"What? Dinner?"

"No! THIS!" Stiles yelled. "You and your insistence on being a gentleman and your attempts to woo me. I'm a whore. You paid for **me**, Derek. I get paid to lie on my back and let guys fuck me. I'm not boyfriend material."

"I don't want you to be my boyfriend!"

"THEN WHAT DO YOU WANT?" Stiles screamed back, tears were now streaming down his face.

"I want companionship. Yeah, your life is fucked up. YOU are fucked up. But so am I. That's why I want you. You understand," Derek replied. His features were more tense than Stiles had seen them yet. "I just want to spend some time with you… because **I'm **fucked up… and I know you won't care about that."

Stiles stood up, walked over to Derek and kissed him fiercely on the lips. Derek kissed him back. Suddenly Stiles found himself straddling Derek. When the kiss broke, Stiles went over to his pants, pulling out a small square. He pulled off his boxers and freed Derek from his, too.

Derek rolled the condom onto himself. "You sure?"

"I've never been more sure of anything in my life."

Derek lined himself up and Stiles slowly lowered himself down. He gasped as Derek pushed up into him. The burning pain made him feel alive. The pleasure Derek brought him made Stiles want to never stop this. And for the rest of the night, they wouldn't.

* * *

_**Author's Note**__: Alright… so I have something cooking up for our lovely duo… I'm seeing very little way of avoiding a Stiles/Peter scene… but I promise, it'll be good. Also, I think Peter and Derek are going to meet soon. Maybe not in the next chapter, but soon. And I apologize if there are any errors. I'm a bit under the weather and my editing skills are suffering. Please review!_


	5. Chapter 5: The Enemy

Stiles had to set an alarm so he could wake up in time to get the money back to Peter. He quickly dressed himself and scribbled down a note for Derek when he woke up.

_Derek-_

_I'm sorry I couldn't wake up by your side. We get in trouble if we're not back by a certain time. I have to meet a client tonight, but I'm off the next two nights. Call me if you want to hang out…_

_-Stiles._

He re-read the note several times before realizing that he forgot to put his number. He scrawled that under his signature before sneaking out of the apartment.

He got to Peter's office at 5:45 and logged the money. Scott was sleeping in a cage. It was disgusting how Peter treated them.

Stiles got some sleep before meeting his client. When he woke up, he saw a text from Derek. "Meet me at my apartment ASAP." It put a smile on his face and helped him get through the encounter with his client, who would go down in Stiles' top ten weirdest fetishists.

He logged the money with Peter then embraced his two nights off. He grabbed some clothes out of his drawer and headed over to Derek's. He knocked only once when Derek opened the door, greeting him with a kiss and a tight hug.

"Okay, so for the next two nights, it's just going to be you and me spending time together," he managed to get out between kisses. "No sex."

Stiles pouted a little. "But I like sex with you. Can we negotiate the sex thing?"

Derek bit his bottom lip. "I just thought that you'd maybe want to not do it since it was your night off."

"Just because I'm a prostitute doesn't mean I don't like to have sex for fun," Stiles replied. "In fact, that tends to be when I do it best…"

"Is that so?" Derek asked, pinning Stiles to the wall. "Maybe we'll have to test that out. But later. Right now, we're going out somewhere."

Derek grabbed a handkerchief and blind folded Stiles. "Derek… usually when I have blindfolds on, I'm not too happy about the surprise that's following."

The older man laughed loudly. "Don't worry; you're going to love this."

He grabbed Stiles' hand and gingerly guided him down to the car. Every once in a while, he caressed Stiles' hand with his thumb. They drove for a little bit, and though Stiles tried, he couldn't make heads or tails of where they were by virtue of how they turned. However, when they arrived, Derek cut the engine off and announced, "We're here. You can take off the blindfold."

They were at a playground. It was dark and not too well-lit. There wasn't anyone there. Derek got out and opened Stiles' door, causing him to nod with a very impressed look. "Chivalry… I like it."

Derek led the way, leading them to a giant jungle gym. Stiles loved jungle gyms growing up. He'd not told Derek this yet, but was really excited. "Are we going to get in trouble?"

"Nah," Derek answered. "I know a few people. We'll be fine. And besides… where's your sense of adventure?"

"It's sitting safely in the car, not likely to get shot or stabbed," Stiles answered cautiously, but the internal drive to climb the jungle gym took over and in moments, he was at the top, then in the blink of an eye, he was hanging upside down. Derek approached and kissed him. Stiles looked so innocent like this and truth be told, it was turning Derek on like he'd never imagined.

"We totally just did the Spiderman kiss," Stiles chuckled when the kiss finally broke. "And you were Mary Jane." Derek scowled. Stiles fixed a goofy grin on his face. "What? Can your brooding dark good looks not handle it?"

Derek's scowl turned into a smile and he pecked Stiles on the lips again. "Oh, it can handle that just fine… The question, dear sir, is if _you_ can handle the great responsibility that comes with such… great… power…" The last three words were punctuated by more kisses. Stiles almost fell off the jungle gym.

"You just made a Spiderman reference!" he exclaimed, nearly overcome with shock and excitement.

"Of course I did. I loved Spiderman growing up. Life handed him an unfair responsibility and he took it, but didn't lose himself. Spiderman was my hero," Derek replied.

"I don't think I've ever been more attracted to you than I am right now," Stiles managed as he climbed down from the jungle gym.

Their moment was interrupted by a pair of headlights pulling up. They saw a figure get out of the car and approach them. Both men tried to shield their eyes to make out the figure, but it wasn't until he heard a voice call "Well, fancy meeting you here…" that he knew exactly who it was.

"Peter?" Stiles felt himself overcome with a sense of shock. It wasn't he who identified Peter. It was Derek.

"What? How do you know Peter?" Stiles asked. Adrenaline began coursing through his system and he gripped the metal bars of the jungle gym so hard that pain began shooting up his arm, still he knew he had to hold on tightly.

"It's a long story," Derek growled. "How did you find us here?"

"Well, Stiles doesn't take a whole lot of care to hid his phone when he's sleeping. I saw the text from you. Really, Derek? You're in the same apartment?" Peter answered. "But it was really just too easy to follow you two. I drove around the block for a while but then I got bored and when I saw you two kissing, I thought… hey, I might as well come and join the fun!"

"Derek… answer me right now," Stiles demanded. "How do you know Peter?"

Peter flashed his insane smile. "Stiles, sweetheart, didn't he tell you about me?" Peter shifted his gaze to Derek, taking in the sight before him as he reached out and caressed Derek's face with the back of his fingers. "Derek and I dated. A very long time ago."

"Not long enough," Derek snarled.

"You wound me," Peter replied, his eyes rolling dramatically. "And here I thought we could be adult about this. We shared an apartment at one time. The same one he's fucked you in, to be specific, Stiles. Probably in the exact same bed I fucked him in."

Stiles stepped away from Derek. His mind was racing. Did Derek know this whole time? Did Peter? How much of what Derek said and did was true? "Did you know?" he asked, his voice shaking. "When I mentioned Peter, did you know I was talking about him?!" Tears were starting to spill out of his eyes and roll down his cheeks.

"So how is this working?" Peter asked. "Is he on the clock? Or what?"

"Shut up!" Derek shouted. "Is this what our breakup did to you? Did you go so far off the deep end that you raped, beat, and began selling the flesh of an innocent boy?"

"He was far from innocent!" Peter retorted. "You should have seen the pages of chat messages. He was hot to trot. I just gave him that little perk. And it's more than just one…"

Stiles doubled over and vomited. Derek rushed to his side. "Are you okay?"

"Don't fucking touch me!" Stiles shouted, pushing him away. "It didn't ring any bells when I told you?"

"He wasn't like this when we dated, I swear, Stiles…" Derek pleaded. "Please believe me. If I had known… I wouldn't have ever let you go back to him."

"I'm standing right here," Peter interjected. "And Derek, I honestly don't know how you can sit there and judge me… after all, we wouldn't even be here if you hadn't been paying for sex. And Stiles… you have even less room to judge. You're just a whore."

Derek ran over to Peter, tackling him to the ground. "Don't you **ever** talk about him like that again," he ordered in a voice that was as lethal as the fist reared back, aiming at Peter's face.

Peter laughed. It wasn't his usual sarcastic, mocking laugh. It was a genuine from-the-gut laugh. "Come on, Derek! At one point you would have found this hilarious. You know… I never suspected it was _you_ booking my boys… if I had, I would have entertained you myself. I'd never leave you to such novices."

In what seemed like the blink of an eye, suddenly Peter was on Derek, his hand pressing down on Derek's throat. "PETER! GET OFF OF HIM!" Stiles shouted, running at the man who pimped him out in an attempt to spare Derek's life. Derek fought back, but Peter was too strong. He managed to thwart Stiles' rescue attempt with minimal effort. Stiles heard a loud pop and felt a rush of agony come from his knee. He watched helplessly as Derek fought against Peter, then went still.

Peter got off Derek and walked over to Stiles. He gave a powerful kick to Stiles' stomach, making him see stars. Just as the world stopped spinning, he felt Peter pick him up, holding him by his throat. "I'm going to let you live today, Stiles… to teach you a lesson. Don't ever cross me. If I ever see you again, I'll fucking kill you. You know I'll do it."

He released Stiles with enough force to knock the wind out of him, making it even harder to cough, which was his body's reflex. Peter walked slowly back to his car and drove off. By this point, Stiles was a great deal further from Derek than he had been and had to crawl over to him. He pulled Derek's torso up close to his. "Please be okay…" He felt a pulse, but it was weak. "Stay with me Derek… please…" Tears were flowing freely now. "Derek come on… wake up…. Don't leave me…" He rocked back and forth for a moment before fumbling for the cell phone he knew was in Derek's pocket. He quickly dialed 911. His father had been a Sheriff so he knew that even though he didn't know where he was, they could trace him if he stayed on the line long enough.

"911, what's your emergency?" Came the voice.

"Please… I need an ambulance right now. Someone's been hurt. I think he's dying. If you don't get here now, he's not going to make it! I don't know exactly where we are. It's some park. Please just hurry," he begged. He knew he wasn't a whole lot of help there.

"I'm tracing your call right now sir. I have an ambulance on the way right now. Just stay on the line until they get there."

By this point, Stiles was sobbing. "Just tell them to hurry. I can't lose him… I can't."

* * *

_**Author's note:**__ Okay, so I feel the need to clarify. In this story, Peter is not Derek's uncle. I also want to thank everyone for the feedback they've been giving me. It's truly amazing to see such a reaction to my story. Hopefully you liked this chapter. I'm going to work on posting the next chapter quickly. I hate leaving people with cliff hangers like this for too long. Some of you may have also noticed that each title (chapter and story) is a Mumford & Sons song. That's not by accident. I would recommend reading the chapter while listening to that particular song. It's not a necessity, but it will add to the experience of the story._


	6. Chapter 6: I Gave You All

Time passed in a blur. The ambulance came, taking them to a nearby hospital. Stiles was lying in a hospital bed, his leg immobilized. Peter's deflection caused him to tear a ligament in his knee. He had come in and out of consciousness due to the massive amounts of pain killer that were pumping through his system. There were moments when he thought he heard Derek's voice. He sounded angry… and worried. He heard things like "internal bleeding" and there were other times when things just went black.

When he finally came to, he had no idea how much time had really passed. The blinding, pristine whiteness of the hospital made him think that maybe he died. However his attempt to move and the pain that followed told him he was very much alive. Even breathing hurt.

"Welcome back," a woman in her mid-twenties said, her voice was calm, yet cheerful. "You've been out for a while. We almost thought we lost you a couple of times."

"Where is he?" Stiles mumbled, his voice was weak and faltering.

"Your boyfriend? He just went downstairs to grab some food. He hasn't left your side the entire week you've been in here."

"He's not my boyfriend," Stiles groaned. He coughed. He felt a stabbing pain in his side.

"Careful, sweetie," the nurse said, rushing to his side. "You have two cracked ribs. We've tried to help keep you comfortable. And like I said: he hasn't left your side. He's slept here every night this week. He hasn't even left to go to work. And there were a few times you called out to him while you were unconscious. He's your boyfriend."

"I was okay when I called the ambulance," Stiles asked, unsure how his situation deteriorated so quickly.

"That was probably the adrenaline. Your condition declined nearly as soon as the ambulance got there," the nurse admitted, checking his chart. "If you need anything, just press the red button on that remote by your side. I'll be right in here!"

"What's your name?" Stiles asked.

She flipped her red hair off her name tag and smiled pleasantly. "I'm Lydia." She walked proudly out of the room. He couldn't see her, but he heard some lower voices outside the door, then Derek's voice rang out "STILES!" followed by a chorus of "Shh!" from the staff.

He ran into the room. "Stiles. I'm so glad you're alright!"

"What are you doing here?" he managed.

Derek's eyes scanned over Stiles. He looked so broken. It hurt him to see how much Stiles was suffering. "I couldn't leave you…" he said softly. He swallowed hard. "I'm so sorry this happened Stiles. I swear I had no idea that you were talking about _him_ when you mentioned Peter." Derek tried to caress Stiles' face, but was Stiles shied away from his touch. That hurt him more than Peter's attempted suffocation. "Please… Stiles…" Derek begged.

"How long did you two date?" Stiles asked, wincing at the pain resulting from the effort that took.

Derek sat down beside the bed. "We were together for a little over year. We moved in together. He was everything I wanted. Smart. Good looking. Funny. I really thought I loved him."

Stiles hated hearing this. "Really?" The disgust was dripping from his voice, despite how hoarse he was.

"You deserve to know, Stiles, and you asked…" Derek replied. "I thought we had the fairytale romance. But then I got scared. He was my first. It was only natural that I fell so hard for him. But that didn't mean I wanted to be with him for the rest of my life. I cheated on him. Several times. But I couldn't handle the guilt and one night I told him. He took it badly. I felt awful. Things got violent and I had to call the police. I got a restraining order against him. I never heard from him again. I didn't realize what he'd become..."

Stiles remained silent. "You know I'm trying here…" Derek said. His voice cracked. "I was scared to death you would die while I took a nap or went to grab food. I don't…"

Stiles cut him off. "Why do you even care?"

"Because I lov.."

"You love me? Really, Derek?" Stiles asked, putting the pain aside. "You've known me for a week. You paid for the first two times we saw each other."

Derek stared off into space, his nostrils flaring. Tears were welling up and he was finding it hard to maintain his composure. "Why else would I be here, Stiles?"

"Maybe because you feel guilty."

"You can be a real ass when you want to, you know that?"

Stiles' blood pressure began to rise enough that the monitor started making a loud beep.

"Stiles, please… calm down." Derek pleaded.

"Don't tell me to calm down…" he replied. "You wouldn't be calm either. I have no home, no job. I'm in the hospital receiving treatment I can't pay for. I almost died after seeing you almost die…"

Derek finally looked back at Stiles, "Why do you even care?"

Stiles hated that his words got used against him. He was silent for a while, staring directly into Derek's piercing gray eyes. He took several shallow breaths. "Where do we go from here?" he wheezed.

"You can live with me. We'll take it as slowly as you'd like. I'll help you find a job… I'll protect you from Peter. I can't lose you, Stiles," Derek said.

Stiles wasn't totally keen on this plan, but it was the only one that didn't result in him being homeless… or without Derek. "So what are we? Romeo and Juliette?"

Derek laughed. "Two lustful 16-year-olds whose lusts led to street wars, exile, and ended in a double suicide? I'd rather not think of them as role models." But then the laugh stopped and a tear began to fall down Derek's cheek as he took Stiles' hand in his. "We're Stiles and Derek. Just you and me. And we'll get through this together. Peter will pay for what he did to you."

* * *

**Author's Note: **Sorry this one's so short. I can't believe it! Over 3,000 views on this story… and your feedback helps fuel my muse. You all have been so great. It might take me a little longer to work out the next part of the story because I'm trying to figure out exactly what I want to do… and how exactly Peter is going to pay.


	7. Chapter 7: Sigh No More

After Stiles was released, Derek took him back to the apartment. He paid to have a security system put in and made sure Stiles knew where Derek kept his gun. The two fell into an easy routine as Stiles' recovery quickened.

In a few weeks, Stiles was able to walk a little. Derek helped him with his physical therapy exercises every day to make sure the healing process went as smoothly as possible. It wasn't long before Stiles was walking with merely a slight limp. He greeted Derek at the end of each day with another new recipe. Cooking had always been a fun hobby for Stiles, but he hadn't had the chance since he started working for Peter.

One night, after feasting on lemon grilled salmon steaks, steamed asparagus, and home-made garlic mashed potatoes, Derek decided to try something. "Have you ever thought of going to culinary school?"

Stiles met the suggestion with laughter. "Me? A chef? I don't think so. I could never."

Derek's jaw slacked and he gave a look that bore into Stiles. "You've cooked amazing dinners every night for the last two weeks. This is some of the best food I've ever eaten. Seriously, Stiles… it's something you need to consider. Gourmet chefs can make a lot of money."

Stiles took another bite of the asparagus. "It is pretty good, isn't it?"

"Yes!" Derek answered. "And so was the pasta primavera, the meat loaf, the flounder, the shrimp scampi, and do we even need to mention that spinach-stuffed chicken? I've gained three pounds!" Stiles felt a surge of pride. He never thought he'd actually enjoy being 'the domestic one'.

They finished their meals and did the dishes together. Their nights were spent usually watching TV or reading, snuggled closely together, but they hadn't had sex since the attack and it was really starting to weigh on Stiles, who was used to having sex pretty much daily, and now had been celibate for about a month.

When Derek got comfortable on the couch, instead of the usual snuggle, Stiles decided to crawl seductively on top of him, kissing his Adam's apple, along his truly fantastic jawline, and then nibbled slightly on his ear lobes. Derek gave a low growl, signaling his approval, but then snapped out of it, sitting up slightly and pushing Stiles off of him.

"What's wrong?" Stiles asked, still trying to get at Derek.

"What are you doing?"

"I think it's pretty obvious… I'm trying to turn you on… and it looks like it's working," Stiles answered, glancing down to the very obvious erection in Derek's pants.

"Of course it's working… everything about you turns me on… but why?"

An exasperated groan escaped Stiles' lungs. "We haven't done anything for what feels like eternity. Guys have needs, Derek."

"Isn't that the truth…" Derek mumbled.

Stiles interpreted that as permission and moved to resume the kissing but Derek put his hand on Stiles' chest, preventing that. "Are you sure?"

"Derek… do I look unsure to you?" Stiles eyes widened, desperately trying to get Derek to see his point of view. "Why don't you want me?"

Derek gave him a look of disbelief. "I want you… a lot. I just don't want to put you in an uncomfortable position."

"If it hurts, I'll let you know, I promise," Stiles replied, again trying to kiss Derek, and again being stopped.

"That's not what I meant. I don't want it to feel like I'm using you for sex. Because I'm not. I love you, Stiles. And I want to get it right this time. So if we're on the same page, then please go ahead, but if we're not, I don't want either of us to get hurt." Derek's strong features clashed eloquently with the vulnerabilities that were coming from his mouth.

Stiles smiled a goofy smile, placing a chaste kiss on Derek's lips. "It's cute when you get sentimental…"

Derek scooted away, pushing Stiles even further. "I'm serious! I genuinely love you. And I need to know if that's how you feel too. I can't do the whole 'just sex' thing with you anymore. Do you feel the same way?"

Stiles backed away for a moment. His answer was going to change everything, and he knew it. The truth was he _did_ love Derek. He just didn't want to be the first one to say it, especially after the shit he gave Derek at the hospital. He had always been able to compartmentalize and separate sex from emotion, but it felt good to see that Derek didn't want to do that. He took a deep breath and swallowed hard before looking Derek straight in the eyes and giving a simple nod of the head.

Derek heaved a sigh of relief and leaned forward to kiss Stiles. At that point, all bets were off and more than a month of sexual frustration was taking over in place of rational thought. Derek tried to remove Stiles' shirt, but in the end, ripped it off. Stiles felt conflicted about how much he actually liked that shirt and how sexy Derek's muscles looked when he tore the fabric right off his body.

Derek's mouth met Stiles' and moved on, tracing on his partner the reverse path that had been taken before. Stiles loved the feel of Derek's scruff moving against his skin.

Soon, the two were standing and pants were coming off. Derek hoisted Stiles up, carrying him into the bedroom. He wanted as much skin contact as humanly possible. Stiles wrapped his legs around Derek's waist and continued kissing Derek as deeply as possible. Without breaking apart, they managed to get a condom onto Derek and at least a little bit of lube before Derek pressed Stiles against the wall and entered him. Stiles was more vocal this time. He knew Derek wanted to know how good Stiles felt and his moans only drove Derek deeper into the frenzy. Each thrust hit Stiles exactly where it needed to. Derek's prowess combined with the friction of rubbing against Derek's stomach, Stiles couldn't contain himself anymore, cumming onto both of their torsos.

Derek moved them over to the bed, not worrying about the mess just yet. He laid Stiles down gently. A couple more powerful thrusts and Derek, too, was spent. They both rode the waves of their pleasure, still kissing.

They made love several times that night before taking a shower that ended up more dirty than clean. But for Stiles, the best part was waking the next morning to find that Derek's arm was wrapped around him possessively. Derek woke up around the same time as well and gave Stiles a kiss on his forehead. "Good morning," he whispered. Stiles couldn't believe how perfect Derek looked. His hair was messy, but still incredibly alluring. Derek thought that Stiles' serious case of bed head was one of the most adorable things he'd ever seen.

While both of them would have been content to stay in the bed all day, hunger eventually drove them to get up. Stiles pulled on some boxers while Derek grabbed some pajama bottoms and slid them on. "It should be a crime to cover an ass that good," Stiles joked as he watched. Derek looked back and gave a suggestive wink.

Stiles hobbled out to the kitchen. Derek noticed that his limp was worse than it had been the day before. "Is your leg alright?"

Stiles laughed. "It's not from my leg…"

Derek didn't find it funny. "I didn't hurt you, did I?"

Stiles shook his head. "You've obviously never bottomed before…" Derek cocked his head to the side, furrowing his brow. Stiles took that to mean that his assumption was right. "Sometimes after some pretty vigorous sex… walking can be a bit awkward. I'm fine. Last night was… well, I'd say 'amazing' but I'm not sure that quite covers it."

There was a visible rush of relief in Derek. He began cooking breakfast. Stiles sat at the table watching him. Somehow, Derek was able to make pancakes seem sexy. They sat eating in silence for a bit. But finally, Derek spoke. "I've decided I'm going to teach you how to fight," he announced. The tone of his voice made it clear that there wasn't room for negotiations.

That didn't stop Stiles. "I don't think that's the best idea."

"And why not?" Derek's voice betrayed some exasperation.

"I'm clumsy. Zero coordination. I trip over air on a regular basis," Stiles replied, shrugging.

"I thought you said you played Lacrosse in high school?"

Stiles leaned back in his chair, scratching the back of his head nervously. Heaving a sigh, he gave Derek a sheepish grin. "I said I was on the Lacrosse team. I didn't so much 'play' as 'ensure the bench maintained a comfortable temperature.'"

"Uh-huh…" Derek raised a forkful of pancake to his mouth, he chewed slowly. When he swallowed he said, "That changes nothing. Peter wants your head on a platter. I can't be here to protect you 24/7. We installed an alarm, but you have to protect yourself until the cops can show up."

"Damn it," Stiles conceded defeat. "When do we start?"

"Your doctor said you were close to healed. I say give it another week or so and you should be okay for some light sparring."

"Light sparring?" Stiles asked. "With who?"

Derek flashed a grin. "I used to do Mixed Martial Arts."

The color drained from Stiles' face. "I'm going to die…"

Derek simply laughed. "Don't worry, baby… I'll go easy on you." Stiles got the feeling that his self-defense lessons were going to be a bit more fun.

* * *

**Author's Note**: I've decided that after I've finished this story (there are still quite a few more chapters to come, don't worry!) that I'm going to write some about life inside the Brothel, including what truly drove Peter to be so evil and what brought each of the boys into that business because in my head, they all have different reasons for doing what they're doing, and they all have stories that should be told. I hope you enjoyed this chapter and look out for the next one coming soon! We're going to learn a little more about Peter's and Derek's relationship. And Stiles trying to learn martial arts is definitely going to be fun.


	8. Chapter 8: Roll Away Your Stone

"Just block and deflect!" Derek growled. This was the 16th repetition. Each time, Stiles nodded in agreement, but as soon as Derek moved to strike, Stiles ducked. "No, no no!"

"I'm sorry!" Stiles was earnestly trying. "What if I miss and don't block? You're strong. You see this face? A broken nose will completely throw off the symmetry." The truth was that Stiles' reaction was a reflex born from the numerous times Peter beat him.

Derek sighed, approaching Stiles and wrapped his arms tightly around him. "I would never hurt you." Stiles squeezed Derek back. Derek, however, wasn't stupid. He let Stiles go, grabbed some water and motioned Stiles to the couch. Handing over a bottle of water, he sat down next to his boyfriend. "What is this really about?"

Stiles welcomed the water. They had been practicing for what felt like eternity and despite the fact that the apartment was rather cool, Stiles was burning up. "It's nothing. Just nerves."

The answer made Derek frown. He softly touched Stiles' neck with the back of his hand. "You feel where I'm touching?" he asked. Stiles nodded. "That's called the carotid artery. Yours bulges a little when you lie. So I'll ask you again, and this time, please be honest with me. What's really going on in that beautiful little head of yours."

"I just don't want to talk about it," Stiles answered, very purposefully looking away from Derek.

Derek let his hand fall back away. It truly stung when Stiles did this, which was becoming increasingly often. "Stiles, whatever it is, I'm trying to help you…"

"I didn't ask you to," Stiles replied obstinately.

Derek's temper was rising, but he managed to keep his voice at least somewhat under control. "You didn't need to. I'm your boyfriend. So when you want to start acting like it, I'll be in the office."

As Derek walked off, Stiles could feel his pulse rise. He didn't want to anger Derek. He wanted to be able to just tell him about the nights he spent chained up with Peter using him as a punching bag then sodomizing him with anything he had in arm's reach. He wanted to explain that there are days he can't account for because he passed out from the pain, or from exhaustion, or starvation. But he couldn't admit that he had been so weak, not to Derek. He couldn't just open up about these things because Derek was strong. Derek was confident. Stiles was none of those things. And while Derek had begun the task of piecing together the strewn puzzle that was his boyfriend, it was an impossible task. Stiles knew that. There were pieces of that puzzle that were gone forever. No matter what, Derek wouldn't be able to fix those parts. Stiles didn't think it was fair of him to even ask in the first place.

Derek paced back and forth in the office. Thoughts were racing through his head. Several, though fleeting as they were, consisted of him second-guessing if he was emotionally capable of dealing with this. He pushed those out of his head because he loved Stiles and for the most part, he knew what he was signing himself up for. Granted, the Peter thing had come as a surprise, but his commitment to the man in the other room remained solid.

He was trying to think of ways to get through to him when Derek heard a shout, a thud, and the words "SON OF A FUCKING BITCH!" Derek bolted out into the living room to find Stiles kneeling, his bruised and bloody hand held close to his chest.

"What the hell happened?" he demanded, rushing to Stiles' side.

"I punched the wall."

Derek began laughing.

"Stop laughing! It really fucking hurts!"

"I don't mean to laugh at you, babe," Derek managed to say. "It's just that you wouldn't deflect a harmless punch from me, but you punched a wall made out of cinderblock. In what universe does that make sense?"

When it was put to him like that, Stiles couldn't help but laugh despite the fact that his hand was throbbing. Derek helped Stiles up and brought him to the kitchen to clean the scratches and put some ice on his hand.

"Was this our first fight?" Stiles asked softly, breaking several minutes of silence.

Derek shrugged. "I guess so. Did it live up to your expectations?"

"I expected grander…. With passionate make up sex."

Derek chuckled and gave Stiles a kiss on the forehead. "I won't pretend to understand and know everything you went through, Stiles. But I also won't pretend that it doesn't hurt that you won't open up to me. I love you and I'm in this with you… But you need to meet me half way."

Stiles looked up and stared directly into Derek's eyes. "I'm just afraid you'll think I'm weak."

Derek sighed. "Why would I think that?"

"You're strong… confident, you know? I'm not like that. I let it all happen to me and I wasn't able to fight back."

"Peter would have killed you," Derek said. "You did what you needed to do in order to survive." Derek paused for a few minutes, visibly working up the courage to say what was on his mind. "I wasn't completely honest with you about him. The only thing that was true was that it ended in a restraining order."

"He beat you up too, didn't he?" Stiles asked.

Derek nodded. "Yes. The first time was two months into our relationship. We went and saw a movie. After, he kept asking me questions. I didn't really enjoy the movie and told him. He got so angry. When we got home, he beat me so bad that I needed to go buy make up just to be able to go to work the next day. When I tried to break up with him, he'd beg me not to. He told me he'd work on himself. He spoon fed me every stereotypical answer of an abusive partner. But I thought I loved him. And I let it happen. In that year, he broke me down to the point that I stopped looking people in the eyes. I would even walk a few steps behind him at all times. I was a shadow of myself. When he brought home someone else and fucked them right in front of me… because he knew I'd just let him, that's when I snapped. I kicked him out, changed the locks, and filed the restraining order. Then I began to work on myself. I didn't let anyone get close to me because it hurt. It brought back the memories of when I felt tiny. I hit the gym… I started studying MMA. I made sure that if I was ever with another person who raised their fist to me, that I would be able to fight back."

"I'm so sorry," Stiles whispered, fighting the tears welling up in his eyes.

"Don't be. I stopped feeling sorry for myself a very long time ago. And even though I didn't tell you the truth the first time, believe me when I say this: if I had known you meant the same Peter..." Derek couldn't even finish his sentence. He held so much guilt.

Stiles pulled Derek close. "I know…" he whispered, rubbing Derek's back. "I know."

When the embrace ended, Stiles made a promise. "I'm going to open up, Derek. I just need you to let me do it in my own time."

"I can agree to that," Derek responded.

The next day, they tried again to work on self-defense. Stiles was considerably better. By the end of the day, Stiles was able to block every blow Derek tried and was even able to flip Derek over his shoulder.

"Bravo!" Derek groaned, feeling slightly winded. "I think you've got it."

Stiles straddled Derek, leaning over he kissed him before saying, "It helps that I have such an amazing teacher." Stiles felt Derek instantly harden. "Someone's feeling a little excited…"

Derek pulled off his pants and started focusing on getting Stiles' off too. When the two were naked, Derek began moving them into the bedroom. "I want you to top…" he said. Stiles' jaw dropped.

"Really? No one's ever asked me to do that before…"

"Well, I've never bottomed before so I'm going to need you to be very careful," Derek replied. Stiles reached into the drawer and grabbed the lube and a condom.

Very slowly he inserted one finger into Derek. "It's gonna feel weird, but it gets better." When he could move that around easily he inserted another and then another, trying to make sure that Derek was ready for him. After the condom was on and Stiles had his dick pressed against Derek's opening, he stopped. "Are you sure you want this?"

"Yes," Derek breathed. "Now just do it…"

Stiles kissed Derek quickly before slowly pressing in. Derek grabbed the sheets. "Just breathe, baby… and relax. Tensing up like that only makes it worse…" Derek stared into Stiles' eyes. There was a mixture of worry and pain. Stiles couldn't continue.

"How about this: You be on top… that way you can move at a pace that's more comfortable for you," Stiles suggested. Derek nodded and they made the adjustment. Derek preferred that position and slowly began lowering himself onto Stiles. This time it was Stiles' turn to grip the sheets. Sex with Derek was always amazing but this… he didn't even have words to describe this.

Derek could see on his lover's face that Stiles was enjoying this so he challenged himself to go faster and continued to please him. It wasn't long before Stiles emptied himself into the condom. Stiles began manually assisting Derek and soon the two were once again in need of a shower.

* * *

Peter stood in his office. Danny was chained to the bed. "You and Stiles were the closest out of the group… after Scott, of course."

Danny whimpered. Peter had become even more irrational since Stiles left and all of the boys were afraid for their safety. Scott and Jackson had already run away. Danny was planning to leave with another guy named Isaac, but Peter found them. Danny wasn't sure what happened to Isaac.

"I'm sorry Peter… but you're scaring us," Danny begged.

"The thing is, Danny… I really liked you. Everyone did. But then you had to go and fuck it up," Peter growled. Danny noticed a box near the bed with wires. Peter began tying one wire around the end of a probe which he inserted into Danny and another around the call boy's genitals. "This is my version of lovely little device known as a Tucker Telephone. It's a pretty genius device, actually. Just a modified antique crank phone. Too much use can cause permanent damage to some rather sensitive parts of the anatomy… and in some cases, insanity."

"Please don't, Peter… I'm sorry. It won't happen again."

"You're right," Peter replied. "It' won't. Let's make a phone call, shall we?"

Peter slowly turned the crank. Danny instantly howled in agony, his entire body spasmed. Not wanting to cause any lasting physical effects, Peter stopped the crank and removed the wire and probe and forcefully grabbed Danny's dick. "Now you're going to help me get Stiles back here or this lovely piece of equipment will be nothing more than a decoration." Tears streamed down Danny's face as he nodded his agreement. Peter smiled. "Now turn over." Danny did as he was told. Peter was falling further into insanity than he realized. Danny groaned as Peter entered him. He was used to the rough sex. All of them were. But never before had Peter resorted to torture.

* * *

**Author's Note:** I have to admit, it was hard for me to do this to poor Danny. But don't worry. It wasn't all in vain. In my head, he's one tough cookie and he'll figure something out. And thank you all for reading. I love getting feedback, so PLEASE let me know what you thought of the chapter. Until next time!


	9. Chapter 9: Lover of the Light

Derek and Stiles were celebrating. Stiles got a job. Stiles wasn't happy that he only got it because Derek pulled a few strings, but he couldn't exactly put down what his previous employment was, or adequately explain why he was just getting a job at the age of 23. Stiles was starting as a Teller in a bank that Derek's investment firm did a lot of business with… at least that's what Stiles thought Derek said. He tuned out about half way through those details. The pay was pretty good. Not nearly what he had been used to, but it made him feel like he was contributing to the household.

Stiles got to choose the music as they drove. Derek didn't say where they were going; only that it was about two hours away. "No…" he said, mostly to himself.

"What?" Derek asked, not looking away from the road.

"You seriously do not have this song…" Stiles pressed the screen of Derek's iPhone. It took a second for Derek to realize what it was, but when the lyrics began he burst into laughter. Stiles sang along with perfect timing to "I Touch Myself" by the Divinyls. Derek howled in laughter as Stiles began mock-masturbating. "This could be our theme song, Derek!"

Stiles stopped the music and exclaimed "Oh my God! I had an idea!" The sudden outburst was enough to legitimately startle Derek.

"What the hell is wrong with you!" he yelled, clutching his chest. "Never do that in a car!"

"Sorry," Stiles leaned over and kissed Derek's cheek. "But you'll like this idea. I was thinking… I've always wanted to try giving road head."

Derek's eyebrows went up. "I'm game."

Stiles licked his lips hungrily. He was glad that Derek didn't drive a stick-shift and that his car didn't have one of those obnoxious center consoles. It was too easy for Stiles to lean over, his head hovering above Derek's crotch. He unzipped the pants and gingerly fished Derek's dick out. "You ready?" he asked.

Derek took a deep breath. "Let's just hope I can maintain control of the car."

Stiles laughed. "At least this way, if we die in a car accident, you'll be coming and going at the same time…"

Derek let out a hearty laugh. The sense of humor was one of the things Derek found most attractive about Stiles. Those little one-liners that just made moments like this so memorable.

Stiles took Derek into his mouth and began using some of his best techniques. He felt Derek tense up and heard an "Oh my god…" escape his boyfriend's lips. The reaction to pleasure only served to drive Stiles to go further. Derek interwove his fingers and Stiles' hair, but made sure he wasn't pushing Stiles down onto his dick, something he saw as being rude and degrading. Stiles enjoyed the feeling of Derek playing with his hair and took it on himself to get Derek deeper into his throat. "Oh fuck, Stiles…" Derek moaned. "You've never done it like this before…"

It boggled Stiles' mind how Derek could be getting a blowjob while speeding down the highway and still be a perfect gentleman… or at least as gentlemanly as one can be while getting a blowjob and speeding down the highway. Stiles began to hum. The vibrations were just too much and Derek let out a shout of ecstasy and came into Stiles' throat.

Satisfied with his task, Stiles helped put Derek's dick back into his pants. "I can't believe we just did that…" Derek said, still riding the waves of his orgasm. Stiles could see little beads of sweat on his forehead reflecting the light from the radio. "On the way home, you're driving." Derek winked at Stiles, indicating that he fully intended on returning the favor later that night.

* * *

**Author's note: **Sorry this chapter is so short. But I'm already working on the next chapter which is going to be a long one and I wanted to give you some easy, fun, Sterek sexy-time. Next chapter is going to almost exclusively focus on Peter. While I am going to write side-fics about the other boys, what's going on with Peter is too relevant to this story to delegate it to a mere side-fic. I dare say some of you who have been calling for his head on a platter might just have a change of heart.


	10. Chapter 10: Little Lion Man

**Trigger warning:** This chapter deals heavily with domestic violence and childhood emotional and physical harm. Please read at your own risk.

* * *

Pacing back and forth in his office, Peter could not remember the last time he had been this angry… this out of control. Screaming, he tossed his bookshelf over, sending the contents flying. He needed to cool down. He went into the bathroom and splashed some cold water on his face. He barely recognized the man who stared back. "What's happening to me?"

Danny was downstairs with Isaac. He was relieved to know that his friend was okay, but saddened to know that he went through the same torture. Since that night, the two rarely left each other's side. Peter wouldn't let them out of the building for fear they'd run. They spent most of their time lying in bed, huddled close to one another in support and praying that Peter wouldn't come downstairs.

For Isaac, this was even more painful. He ran away to escape rages like this. Peter told him he'd be safe and until recently, he had been. He and Peter were actually fairly close emotionally and watching Peter become the monster he had tried to escape was breaking him.

Peter let out a scream of anger and looked back at his reflection. When the realization hit him, it felt like he had been punched in the gut. He tore off his shirt and wrapped it around his fist before punching the mirror with all his strength in an effort to get rid of the image that faced him. "I'm not him… I'm nothing like him," he told himself. It was a message he had tried to reinforce for a very long time. Unfortunately, this time his lie didn't convince wasn't even convincing himself.

He knew that right now, the only two boys who had bothered to stay were cowering in a room terrified he'd make an appearance. It bothered him. He was their protector. He provided their safety and right now they were afraid.

But his rage was justified! He had spent untold amounts of energy on every man he had been with starting with Derek. Even thinking that name still caused a throb in his chest. He remembered their first fight. The first time he ever laid hands on Derek. The film. It was a romantic comedy, as he remembered. He chose it because he wanted to start the night off on a light note. He had planned such a perfect evening. How was he supposed to know that Derek preferred action thrillers? It's not like he ever mentioned it! Then his response… "It wasn't really my type of film…" It sent him over the edge. All the time and effort he spent planning that evening was for nothing. And it was Derek's fault.

Throughout the course of their relationship, every time they fought was because Derek had been unappreciative. He was just trying to be good to Derek. Peter's father was never that kind to his mother. They never went and did anything. He only screamed at her and threw things. He only made her cry. There was another painful throb in his chest: the sight of Derek crying after one of his rages. His eyes… they looked just like hers. That same mix of beauty, despair, and hopelessness. It killed him to see the man he loved give him that look.

When Derek finally left him, he realized that Derek would never have appreciated what he did because he didn't need it. Derek was fully capable of providing for himself. So he set his sights on another someone else… someone who would have to appreciate him.

That's when he met Stiles. Stiles had such a rocky relationship with his dad that Peter was all too willing to step in for him. They chatted online for so long. And when they finally met up, Stiles gave Peter the opportunity to be his first. Stiles trusted _him_. Their first time was amazing. He was so innocent and that was probably one of best sexual experiences Peter ever had. Stiles loved it too. He wanted to be able to have sex whenever he wanted. There was only one way to ensure that happened. But Peter promised he would protect the young boy. To do that, he had to condition him… ensure he knew what dangers there were.

So he beat Stiles. It was always a risk that prostitutes faced. And Peter needed to know that Stiles could handle it. And he did. It made him that much more alluring. Soon, Stiles was bringing in $150 per night. They were happy, but Stiles needed friends. So Peter found more. Scott. Danny. Jackson. Isaac. All of them were but boys, just entering manhood. They were Peter's boys. He found them. He rescued them. They were a family. And they contributed to the family. Every single night. Peter made sure to spend time with each boy. He wanted to show them all that he cared about each of them.

Everything ran smoothly. He made rules. The boys became like brothers. But it all started falling apart when Stiles met Derek. Stiles wanted to leave them. "You don't abandon family," he remembered telling himself after their talk. His reaction in the park was a bit out of line, he admitted. But Stiles had abandoned his brothers. And him.

Scott had been absolutely no help at all. "If Stiles is happy with this guy… then he deserves it. Let him be happy." Peter snapped on him too.

"He should be happy with US! We're his family!" Peter screamed, striking him. The next morning, Peter woke up to find that both Scott and Jackson had escaped. He knew that they would probably not return, but he wasn't convinced that Stiles was a lost cause. But Danny wouldn't help him. He wanted Stiles to be happy with Derek, too. He was also pissed that Peter put him in the hospital. He decided to coerce Danny. Isaac too. But it didn't work.

Now they cowered in the corner of any room they shared with him. A knock on the door helped pull him back out of his memories. "Who is it?" he demanded.

"Peter… it's Isaac," came the voice. "Can I come in?"

"Sure," was the response.

Isaac saw Peter lying on his bed. He looked pitiful. "Are you okay?"

"What the fuck do you think?"

"I'm worried about you," Isaac said, sitting next to the older man.

"It'd be smarter to worry about yourself," Peter replied. He had, after all, tortured the boy.

"You're turning into your father, Peter," Isaac's voice was pleading. "You have always been kind to me. Kinder than you are with any of the others."

"You know what it's like," Peter responded, as if that answer solved everything.

Isaac nodded his agreement. "I do. You told me that you would save me from this fear." Peter winced at Isaac's words. "And now I'm living in that same fear. I can't live like this again."

Peter sneered. "So are you going to abandon us too? You're all ungrateful."

Isaac shook his head. "Have you ever stopped to think that all of this is your fault? That you are the common denominator in every problem you've had in your life? You saved me. Peter. You saved my life and I will always be grateful for that. But I'll never be grateful for the things I've had to do to pay you back."

"You knew there'd be a cost!"

"I didn't know it'd be so high," Isaac retorted. "It makes me sick what I've done to try and pay you back."

"You've read Machiavelli, Isaac. It's better to be feared than loved."

Isaac sighed and looked away. "Is it? Is it really? Look around you and tell me. Is this better? You had an amazing opportunity. You took in those of us who were the most vulnerable and promised us a family. And in a way we were. We loved each other. We were afraid of you. Scott and Jackson would rather be homeless than be here. You could have started a halfway house or an orphanage or something like that. But you started a brothel. You made us sell ourselves and now look at you. Everything has crashed down around you and you're too busy lamenting our mistakes to see that we aren't the ones who fucked up."

Isaac walked out of the room, leaving Peter to think about his words. He had been taking his anger out on the wrong people. The ones responsible weren't his boys… his father had made him this way. His father needed to pay the price. And he knew exactly who he was going to recruit to help him.

* * *

**Author notes:** As always, I hope you enjoyed the chapter and thank you for your support. I also hope I helped everyone understand a bit of what's driving Peter. The writing might seem rushed but that's because Peter isn't in the best mental state and I did my best to try and capture that. Let me know what you thought of this chapter. The next one will be more focused on Stiles and Derek.


	11. Chapter 11: Broken Crown

The commotion was sudden. It happened while they were asleep. A sudden crash of shattered glass, something held over Stiles' mouth, and everything went fuzzy. He woke up in the basement of the brothel. He was in his boxers. The same boxers he wore to bed with Derek. "Derek, where are you?" he called out. He couldn't see a whole lot.

"Stop shouting, he's fine," Peter's voice replied. "You, however, are not." He heard the click of a switch and his muscles all began tightening. The pain was immediate and intense. The click came again and the pain stopped. Stiles began panting.

"Why won't you leave us alone, Peter?" Stiles asked.

The lights came on suddenly. They were so intense that Stiles had to blink a few times before he could actually see anything. Derek was sitting, bound and gagged near Peter. There was something rigged to his side, connected to a square box near Peter. "I have a proposal for you two."

"We just want to be left alone…" Stiles begged. "That's all I wanted. To be happy. To be with Derek."

"No, you wanted to abandon your family. But I forgive you for that, Stiles," Peter replied. "And I'm offering you one final deal. You're going to help me kill somebody."

"That's dramatic, Peter. Even for you." Pain spread through his body again and he screamed out. Derek struggled against his restraints, his eyes wide in concern for Stiles.

When the pain stopped, Peter approached Stiles. "Your mouth is going to get you in trouble one day, Stiles." He shivered. He wasn't close to his father, but how dare Peter use his father's words on him!

"I'm going to give you the choice. Either you help me yourself and I hook Derek up to this machine while we go do the deed, or you stay here while Derek goes with me. Once the deed is done, you're both free to go. I'll never bother you again."

"How long will it take?" Stiles asked.

"That's entirely up to you two, I guess," Peter replied.

"And we'll never hear from you again?" Peter nodded. "How do I know you'll keep your word?"

Peter touched Stiles' hip sensually, pressing his lips to the young man's. Peter deepened the kiss, though Stiles didn't want him to. "Sealed with a kiss," Peter said as their lips parted. Stiles spat in his face.

"I'm taken." Peter's nostrils flared angrily and he wiped away the saliva.

"You just made your choice." Peter growled, flipping the switch. Once again, Stiles was instantly in agony. He knocked on the door and a beautiful, tall woman with light brown hair entered. Peter untied Derek's gag.

As soon as Derek could talk, he began shouting. "You son of a bitch, I'll fucking kill you myself!"

"You see… that won't be a very smart idea," Peter replied putting his arm around the woman's waist. "I'd like you both to meet my lovely friend here. Her name is Kate and she's very good at ensuring obedience. She's going to keep Stiles company while we're gone. If she doesn't hear from me on regular intervals, she has orders to kill him."

Derek looked like he had been punched in the chest. He looked at Kate. His face and voice held a despair in it that Stiles had never heard before. "Please… don't harm him."

"He's a cutie," Kate replied. "Don't worry, sweetie. I'll make sure he's well taken care of. Just follow directions and you'll get him back in one piece." She looked Stiles up and down then turned her head to Derek, licking her lips.

"And just so you know, Derek… if you give me trouble, she will give him trouble. And I'll make sure you see it."

"I will save you, Stiles. I promise!" Derek called as Peter pulled him out of the room.

"Hurry!" Stiles called after him. Every nerve in his body felt like it was on fire.

As soon as the door was shut, Kate flipped the switch and the pain stopped, but the effects lingered. "Too much time on this thing and you'll start growing immune to it. We don't want that, now do we?"

"I don't see you hooked up to this thing. Give it a shot. Maybe you'll change your mind," Stiles retorted.

Kate laughed, showing a toothy grin. "You're going to be fun. You see… I told Derek that I won't do any lasting physical harm. I made no promises about your mental state." She approached, tracing a finger from Stiles' throat down to the waistband of his boxers. She latched her fingers on the waistband and pulled, peeking down. "Nice. Out of curiosity, which one of you… uh…" she raised her eyebrows suggestively.

"It's none of your fucking business!" Stiles hissed.

Kate removed her finger, letting the band snap back to Stiles' skin. "Fair enough." She flipped the switch. Stiles mustered all the energy he had not to scream… not to give her the satisfaction.

* * *

The car sped down the road. Derek refused to speak, despite the numerous attempts to start a conversation.

"I'm not the bad guy here, you know," Peter said at last.

Derek couldn't help it. He actually laughed. "Are you fucking kidding me with that? You abducted us. You're torturing Stiles and are driving me to kill someone for you. But no… you're not the bad guy."

"How do you get around the fact that he was a whore?" Peter asked. "That he was used by a lot of men. I can show you the ledger…"

"He's a person," Derek replied, wanting to defend Stiles' honor. "He's a good person. He wouldn't have done any of that if it hadn't been for you."

"He wouldn't have met you if it hadn't been for me," Peter added. "Let's not forget that."

Derek rolled his eyes. "How much longer?"

"Maybe another hour. Feeling bloodthirsty?"

"No. I just don't want to be in the car with you anymore," Derek stared out the window. They continued in silence. This time, Derek was the first to break it. "You think you're so mysterious don't you?"

Peter chuckled. "What do you mean?"

"You think you control everything around you. But you've fallen for your own lies," Derek said, still looking out the window. "You started pimping out Stiles and the others because you had no control over your own life, so you controlled theirs."

"Shut up," Peter growled.

"And when you lost control over theirs, you had to find another way. So now you're torturing him and forcing me to commit murder."

"I said _**SHUT UP**_!" he roared.

Derek didn't. "You're pathetic. You were pathetic when you beat me to a pulp. You were pathetic when you raped Stiles. You were pathetic when you attacked us at the playground. You're pathetic now."

"Fine." Peter growled. He pulled out his phone and sent a text message. Moments later, he got a phone call. He put it on speaker. It was Stiles. He was screaming.

"Please stop! I didn't even do anything!" Stiles yelled. Peter hung up, but not before Derek heard Stiles sobbing.

"Now do you understand a little better? If you're not on your best behavior, Stiles will pay," Peter said.

A tear fell from Derek's eyes. He tried to make sure that Peter didn't see it. That was his fault. He didn't shut up and Stiles got hurt. It didn't make Peter any less pathetic in his eyes, but it did make him more likely to hold his tongue. He wasn't going to gamble like that. Not with something so precious to him.

* * *

Stiles was still reeling from that. He wasn't sure what Derek did, but he hoped that it didn't happen again. "Hey Kate," Stiles said, still trying to catch his breath.

"What?"

"You torture like a girl."

Kate smiled. She approached Stiles and grabbed his face, forcing his lips to pout out a little. "Has anyone ever told you that you have really good lips? If you continue being a smartass, I'll make sure they get nice and puffy." She released him, tossing his head aside violently.

"What makes someone like you wake up one day and say 'Oh, what do I want to do today? How about torture some innocent guy!'" Stiles asked, earnestly curious.

"It's a family tradition," Kate replied with an unsettling nonchalance.

There was a knock on the door. Kate opened it. Isaac and Danny were standing there with food and water for the both of them. As they walked in, both of them tried not to look at Stiles.

She singled Isaac out using a cattle prod she was holding and laughed. "I'm surprised you would even show your face down here."

"Why?" Stiles demanded.

Kate looked at the chained man. "Oh… did Peter not tell you? He had a talk with Isaac. That's the reason you're here."

Isaac opened his mouth to speak, to tell Stiles, a man he loved like a brother, that it wasn't true. But Kate struck him with the prod. "Don't try to feed him any lies."

"Is that true?" Stiles asked. Isaac only whimpered, tears streaming down his face. Whether it was from the prod or guilt, Stiles couldn't tell.

"Quit sniveling you sorry piece of shit. Get out of my sight," Kate snarled. They left, Danny holding Isaac close to him. Kate shut the door again, giving them more privacy. That lie worked better than she ever intended. Stiles looked more shaken up after that than he did when she pressed the cattle prod. She didn't realize how easy he would be to break. It saddened her a little. She preferred the more difficult ones. Derek would have been a blast.

Just for fun, she turned the machine on. The pain was more intense. Stiles realized she must have changed the settings. Rather than scream and give her the satisfaction he thought of Derek. He closed his eyes and focused on every detail of the man he loved. His hair. His voice. The sexy stride he took only when he knew Stiles was watching him. The sound of confused laughter when Stiles cracked a joke at an odd moment. The way his lips felt. How protective he was when Peter attacked them.

He began to laugh. He laughed hysterically. Kate started to get a little worried and turned off the electricity. "What's wrong with you?"

"Nothing," Stiles replied, still laughing.

"Then why do you seem like you're having a grand old time?"

"Because Derek's going to kill you both when he gets back." Stiles laughed even harder than before.

* * *

**Author's Note: **I didn't expect to get this chapter written so quickly. I had a lot of fun... especially introducing Kate. She's my favorite crazy kick ass female. I hope you all enjoyed the chapter. Please review!


	12. Chapter 12: Ghosts That We Knew

Exhaustion was creeping over Derek. He didn't trust Peter enough to allow himself to fall asleep. He wondered what Kate was doing to Stiles. They were now off the highway and Derek had no clue where they were as Peter was speeding down back roads. All Derek could see was wood lands that didn't seem to end.

"Does this thing ever run out of gas?" he complained.

Peter smirked. "Hybrid."

"Well, I'm starving. And honestly, a little coffee wouldn't hurt," Derek said.

"There's a diner nearby," Peter replied. "We'll stop there."

They drove for another 15 minutes and sure enough, the woods cleared a bit. Derek could see a small grocery store, a 70s style diner, and a self-serve gas station that looked like an antique.

Peter's car contrasted very visibly with everything he saw. "We're going to stick out," Derek whispered as they got out of the car.

"It's okay. The person we're visiting lives right outside this little settlement," Peter said, holding the door open. Derek shot him a look to show that he didn't appreciate the gentlemanly gesture.

When they sat down, the waitress took their orders. Derek ordered a black coffee, Peter got some water.

As the waitress went to grab their drinks, Peter pulled out his phone. "I think I should go check in with Kate… we wouldn't want anything to happen to Stiles. That would be tragic."

Derek's nostrils flared. "Good morning Kate. How's our guest doing?"

Despite his efforts, he couldn't hear what Kate was saying. Peter handed him the phone. "Someone wants to speak to you."

Derek grabbed it. "H...hello?"

"Derek…" Stiles' voice was weak. "Are you almost done?"

A lump formed in Derek's throat. He could only imagine the torture Stiles had been through. "It won't be much longer, Stiles. Are you okay?"

"Don't worry about me," he breathed. "I can handle this psychotic bit-ARGH!"

"STILES!" Derek shouted. Everyone in the diner turned and stared. Peter took the phone back.

Derek looked a little pale. "You really should eat something," Peter suggested with a smile.

"Why?" Derek asked. "Of all people, why would you hurt _him_?"

Peter looked dead into Derek's eyes. "You should know, Derek… he sounds so sexy when he screams."

Derek started to lunge across the table but Peter put up a finger ominously. "Do you really want to do that?"

Derek stopped mid-motion. "I've lost my appetite," he whispered. He left the table and went outside to stand by the car.

* * *

"I'm trying to figure out if you're suicidal or just plain stupid," Kate taunted, pacing in front of him. The machine was on and Stiles felt like he was going to throw up from the pain it was causing him. But he laughed again. Kate found his laughter to be disturbing, which even she would admit was saying something. "What's so funny now?" she jammed the prod into his side, and turned the machine off again.

The electrical shocks were starting to cause his fingers and toes to feel tingly, even when the machine was off. It didn't matter right now, though. "I'm going to ask Derek not to hurt you."

Kate smiled, tucking some hair behind her left ear. "That's very sweet of you, Stiles… but I don't think you'll have to worry about that."

Stiles chuckled at her. "You misunderstood me. I'm going to save you for myself."

"And what makes you think you'll be able to?" she asked.

Stiles decided not to answer her question. The truth was he could feel the ropes binding his hands starting to slip. Peter wasn't so good at knot tying. He just needed to distract her for a little while longer. "So how close were you and your father?"

"What makes you think I'd answer that?"

"Indulge me," he whispered. His exposure to the electrical current made him slightly disoriented and his hands were twitching, helping to further loosen the ropes.

She didn't see the harm in answering a simple question. "We weren't close in the traditional sense, but he taught me everything I know about coercion. He taught my brother Chris, too… but Dad always told me that it came more natural to me. Chris's conscience tended to get in his way."

Stiles redistributed his weight so that it strained the rope a little more. He was almost free.

"So how do you usually employ those skills?"

"However I'm paid to," she replied. "Now if you don't mind, I'm through answering your questions. I'm gonna go use the ladies' room. Don't go anywhere!" She flipped the switch, sending the current through his body again before she left the basement. The shaking in his hands loosened enough that he was able to free his right arm entirely then worked quickly to free his left arm.

He then peeled the tape that held whatever administered the current to his skin. He saw burn marks where the metal actually contacted his flesh. He figured he'd probably have scars there, but that didn't matter at the moment. He collapsed under the weight of his own body. His muscles were still too excited from the current, but he forced himself to get up. He felt incredibly weak. The act of moving was almost too much but he had to. Adrenaline started to pump and he picked up the cattle prod and hid next to the door.

When she walked in, he jabbed it into her neck. She screamed, letting out a stream of obscenities. He held it there until she collapsed in pain. He kicked her as hard as he could in the stomach. "I told you," he whispered. "You're mine to deal with."

He dragged her over to where he had been tied up. Having been a boy scout for several years, he knew better than to make the same mistake Peter did. When he was sure she was secure, he attached the machine to her skin and flipped the switch. Kate visibly tensed up as the current began flowing into her, but Stiles knew that she was trying not to show how much pain she was in.

"I'm not as well trained in all of this torture stuff," Stiles admitted. "So I don't know the difference between these settings and what will end up happening if I… say… kick this knob up a few notches."

He increased the voltage going into her. No longer was she stoic. "Stop!" she screamed. "Turn it off!"

* * *

Peter paid for the coffee and joined Derek outside. Derek could tell he wasn't happy. He clicked the remote and the car's doors unlocked. Both men got in, but Peter slammed his door.

"Do you get grumpy when you don't eat?" Derek asked.

Peter shot him a lethal look and Derek decided not to press any further, lest Stiles pay the price. "You made a scene in there."

Derek rolled his eyes. They continued driving for another 15 minutes down more back roads. At last, Peter pulled off the paved road and onto a dirt driveway which must have been about a mile long. As they approached the house, Peter could see that his father had been neglecting the yard.

"I don't think anyone's been here in a long time," Derek said when they approached the door.

Peter opened the door. An awful stench smacked both men in the face. An older man was lying face down; his body was bloated and discolored. Derek ran back outside, trying desperately not to vomit.

"Isn't that some shit," Peter sighed as he walked back outside. At least dear old dad didn't have the luxury of a dignified death."

Derek's jaw dropped. "You wanted me to help you kill your own _father_?"

"Close your mouth, Derek," Peter ordered. "You and I both know that's not the most shocking thing you've ever heard me say." As twisted as it was, Peter was right. "We're heading back. It seems you and Stiles get a free pass and as usual, I have nothing to show for anything."

They rode in silence for several hours. The closer they got to where Stiles was, the more relieved Derek began to feel. This nightmare was almost over. "Do you think we would ever have made it?" Peter asked.

Derek stared at him, eyebrows furrowed. "What the fuck are you talking about?"

"As a couple," Peter clarified.

Derek's expression remained unchanged. "No. You were… I mean you _are _completely psychotic. Why is this even a question?"

"I did love you, you know," Peter told him.

"You had a great way of showing it," Derek replied, returning his gaze to the scenery.

"It's the only way I knew how," Peter said softly.

"That's a coward's response," Derek's voice held a sharp edge. "You may have had some fucked up past, but it doesn't give you permission to do what you've done. You have destroyed innocent people's lives. Nothing that happened to you can justify that."

Peter nodded. He didn't respond. He knew that Derek was right. Neither of them spoke for the remainder of their drive.

When they got back to the brothel, Danny and Isaac were still in the room they hid in before. There was commotion coming up from the floor. All four men raced downstairs to find Kate begging for her life. "If you keep that current on, it'll kill me!"

"Do I look like I care?" Stiles kept jabbing her with the prod, eliciting even higher-pitched screams.

"Stiles stop!" Derek yelled.

"No," he said, defiantly holding the prod to Kate's skin. He was happy that Derek was back, but he had a score to settle.

"You're going to kill her. Please… this isn't you," Danny added.

"And how the fuck would you know?" Stiles asked, removing the prod from Kate's side and pointing it at Peter, who put his hands up in surrender and began backing up, only to find that he had no more room to back up in.

"Please, Stiles," Derek begged. "Set the prod down. It's over."

"No, Derek, it's not over. He's always going to fuck things up for us. If it's not one thing, it's another. He beat us up… he put me in the hospital," Stiles growled, tears streaming down his face. His hand was still unsteady and Derek could tell that he was exhausted.

"Will you be able to live with yourself after?" Derek asked.

"It's _his_ fault!" Stiles screamed. Derek circled around Stiles and turned off the electricity that was feeding into Kate's body.

"No," Derek replied. "This is all you."

Stiles took his time to decide his next action. He knew how cliché it was, but that didn't stop him from dropping the prod and landing the strongest punch he could throw straight into Peter's cheek, sending the older man toppling over.

Trying to recover from the blow, Peter stood up, "I'd ask what that was for but I think I already know the answer."

"That's not even a fraction of what you deserve," Stiles growled, collapsing into Derek's arms.

* * *

**Author's note**: Hey everyone! Thanks for reading. As always, please review. I love getting the feedback! It makes writing so much easier. I had a hard time writing this particular chapter because as I wrote, the characters started making choices that I didn't necessarily intend. I ended up rewriting the chapter three different times. But this isn't the end. There are still a couple more trials that our beloved couple must face. One of which just might tear them apart. Until next time!


	13. Chapter 13: Not With Haste

"He won't get out of bed," Derek sighed. "He just stays in there with the light off. When I try to talk to him, he rolls over, or covers his head with the pillows. At night, he wakes up screaming, but won't let me touch him to try and calm him down."

"Have you two been intimate recently?" the psychologist asked.

Derek shook his head. "He won't even let me kiss him."

The psychologist kept jotting down notes. "Has anything particularly stressful happened to him?"

"You have no idea," Derek replied. "Honestly, I don't blame him for being like this. I just wish he'd let me in."

"During recovery from a stressful situation, sometimes people push away those they care about most, because they know that person will forgive them."

"I don't know how much more of this I can handle," Derek admitted, leaning back in the couch. His voice held the pain of defeat.

"Don't give up hope, Mr. Hale," the psychologist urged. He looked up from his notes, making sure to create eye contact when he did.

"I'm afraid to go to work. I'm scared that I'll come home and find him hanging in the closet… or bleeding out in the bathtub. I've had to get rid of all the pain killers in the apartment," Derek said.

"Does he have any friends? Any close contacts other than you?"

Derek shrugged. "I don't know a whole lot about his life before I met him. It wasn't exactly a traditional dating arrangement."

"What do you mean?" the doctor asked, cocking his head to the side.

Derek flushed bright red. "He… umm… he used to be a prostitute. We met when I arranged for his services. But we sort of fell in love." Derek gave the shrink credit for his ability to act un-phased by such a revelation.

"Was he a willing prostitute?"

Derek shook his head. "He worked for a pretty bad dude. The guy threatened to kill him if he ever left."

"Former sex workers often have unresolved trust issues. Very few people come out of the business fully emotionally in-tact, you know," he told Derek. "I'd like to talk to Stiles."

* * *

Scott's phone woke him, but when he saw the name, he immediately became alert. "Stiles!"

"Where are you?"

"I'm at a hotel in downtown."

"Can we meet at the coffee shop on 4th in 30 minutes? Please?" Stiles asked.

"Y-yeah," Scott replied. "Is everything okay?"

"I'll see you there," Stiles said before hanging up.

Thirty minutes later, Stiles walked into the coffee shop. He knew it well. He met many clients there. Scott was sitting at a table in the corner sipping on what Stiles guessed was a latte. As he approached the table, Scott looked worried. "Have you been eating?"

Stiles shook his head. "I've barely been out of bed. I can't think. I can't…"

Scott put his hand on Stiles', but Stiles recoiled. "What happened to you? Did Derek hurt you?"

Stiles shook his head. "Not really. Peter abducted us. He had some woman torture me. I can't stop thinking about it. Every time I close my eyes… I'm back there."

"Have you told Derek?"

Again, Stiles shook his head. "It's not his job to fix me! I've caused enough trouble for him as it is. I can't keep doing this to him. It's not fair."

"This is something he should know, Stiles," Scott whispered. "He needs to know!"

"Don't you think _I_ know that!?" Stiles snapped.

"Tell him, he can help!"

"He didn't help!" Stiles yelled. The café came to a screeching halt and everyone looked at the two in the corner. Scott smiled cautiously.

"Keep your voice down. What do mean he didn't help?"

"He let me get tortured. He just left with Peter," Stiles hissed.

Scott shook his head. "I don't believe it. Are you sure? Tell me exactly how it happened."

"Are you getting some kind of sick thrill from this, Scott? I know you liked it rough…" Stiles sneered.

Scott grabbed Stiles' arm and dragged him outside and into a nearby alleyway, slamming him against the wall and holding him there. "Think about what you're saying, Stiles. You're like a brother to me. And I'm one of the only friends you have."

"I shouldn't have come to you," Stiles said, trying to get Scott off of him, but Scott was stronger.

"This is your problem," Scott growled. "You think you're superman. You get yourself into situations you can't get out of but refuse help from those who can. Derek loves you. I don't know why because you're batshit crazy sometimes. And if you can't see that, then you really don't deserve him."

"Oh, and you do?" Stiles replied.

"I never said that!" Scott released Stiles. At this point, his anger was boiling at a level he knew required a bit of distance. "Look. You came to me for advice. I gave it to you: go to Derek. Tell him what's on your mind because HE was the one who went through it with you. HE is the one with access to resources that can help. I'm nothing but a guy who has sex for money. You left this life. You have the opportunity to change and if you don't take it, then you have no reason to keep feeling sorry for yourself." Scott walked away, leaving Stiles with his words.

* * *

A tray of food was balanced on one hand and Derek was pouring soda into a glass with the other. He knew Stiles had to eat, so he fixed one of Stiles' favorite comfort foods: hamburger helper. He brought it into the room, setting it on Stiles' bedside table. "I don't care if you talk, but you have to eat. I'm not going to watch you waste away. It's hard enough watching you push me out."

Stiles took a sip of the soda. Root beer. His favorite. Derek started walking out, reasonably sure that Stiles would eat.

"Derek, please…" Stiles begged. "I… I'm sorry. I never wanted to bring all of this on you."

Derek rushed to his side and put his arm around Stiles. "I never wanted this for us either. I only wanted you to be happy."

"I don't deserve you," Stiles cried into Derek's shoulder.

"I can't do this on my own, Stiles," Derek replied, pulling Stiles closer, tears now falling from his eyes too.

"I'll be better. I'll do better, I promise," Stiles sobbed.

Derek separated them, looking at Stiles, but the younger man's gaze remained down-turned. "What brought this on?"

"I called Scott today. I went and talked to him. He told me I need to talk to you about why I've been so weird lately. I just didn't want to be your burden. I'm tired of asking you to clean up my messes."

Derek pulled Stiles back to him, squeezing him tightly. "Baby… you're my mess. And I love you so much. I didn't go into this expecting an easy ride."

Stiles chuckled a bit, but tears kept coming. The two sat there in each other's' arms. Finally, Stiles told Derek. "Every time I close my eyes, I see Kate. She's holding the prod, and the electricity is running across my skin. I can't make the image go away."

"I am going to make an appointment with my shrink. His name is Dr. Deaton. I think he'll be able to help," Derek hummed.

Stiles pulled away, shaking his head. "I'm not crazy!" Derek put his hands on Stiles' cheeks, wiping the tears away with his thumbs. "I'm not crazy… am I?" He searched Derek's eyes for some sort of answer.

"No, baby, you're not crazy. You've been through a lot. You need to talk to someone who can help."

"Can you be there?" Stiles asked.

"Of course," Derek smiled. "I'll always be there when you need me."

* * *

Stiles was resistant to the idea of anti-depressants. "I don't want a pill to help me feel normal. I should just feel normal."

Dr. Deaton smiled. "Think of it like repairing an old house weathered by years of stress. When you start the repairs, you need to check the foundation. If it's not solid, there's no point. These pills will help you lay a firm foundation. Our sessions will help with the structure of the house overall. Then when we're done, hopefully you'll be able to take over on your own."

Stiles liked the analogy. Derek attended his next few sessions with him, listening to stories about what he went through before they met… what was going through his mind in that basement… the nightmare in his head after… Weeks had passed. Derek was beginning to see the old Stiles, _his_ Stiles returning. They were joking together again. Stiles still woke up screaming sometimes, but not nearly as often.

Two months into Stiles' recovery, Derek was pulling into the parking garage of Dr. Deaton's building. After searching for a spot, he cut the engine. "Can I attend this one alone?" Stiles asked.

Derek smiled. "Sure. I'll be here when you're done." He leaned over and planted a kiss on Stiles' cheek.

Stiles smiled back. "I love you," he shouted as he got out of the car and shut the door.

"I love that man," Derek whispered to himself, watching Stiles walk into the building. He reclined his seat and set an alarm for an hour before allowing himself to drift off to sleep.

A text message woke him before the alarm did. He'd been having a great dream. The text was from Stiles. "I need you. Please?"

Derek quickly typed his response "On my way." He bolted inside. He ran down the hallways, into the reception area for Dr. Deaton, then into the doctor's office despite the receptionist's protestations about him being in session.

"Are you okay?" Derek asked as soon as the door was closed behind him.

Stiles nodded. It was clear he had been crying.

"Stiles has something he wants to tell you," Dr. Deaton said, motioning for Derek to sit down.

Derek nodded, his eyebrows furrowed with worry. Stiles smiled at Derek. As he spoke, it was clear he was choking back tears. "I'm afraid of losing you," Stiles said.

"We've been through this!" Derek protested.

"Derek, please. Let him finish," Dr. Deaton instructed.

Stiles pulled Derek's hand into his lap, absentmindedly tracing the contours and details with his index finger. "This fear isn't going to go away. Because losing you is something I should be afraid of. I talked to Dr. Deaton today and he agrees." Stiles reached into his pocket. Whatever he pulled out was concealed, but Derek could feel adrenaline pumping through his system.

"I think that if you and I made things more serious, I would be able to handle this better," Stiles turned his hand over, revealing two black rings, a small diamond in each. Derek's jaw dropped as Stiles started putting one on his finger. "Derek, will you marry me?"

Derek smiled and nodded before kissing Stiles with enough force that Dr. Deaton felt the need to clear his throat. Stiles slipped his own ring onto his finger when the kiss finally parted.

They left the office holding hands, both men felt like they were walking on air.

* * *

**Author's note**: So admittedly, when I started writing this chapter, I did not intend it to end the way it did. Yet another case of fictional characters having minds of their own! But I'm happy with the way it turned out and I hope you are too! Thank you for reading and sticking with my story. Please review or comment! The next chapter is going to be lots of sex. They're a little overdue, don't ya think? Until next time!


	14. Chapter 14: Hopeless Wanderer

The wine was causing their heads to swim a bit, but it didn't matter. Stiles was laying on top of Derek, kissing him. They managed to get their shirts off, but had been too busy making out to be worried about removing any garments below the waistline.

Derek sat them up before climbing on top of Stiles. A wicked grin overtook his face before he licked his fiancé's stomach. Stiles giggled. "That feels so weird!" Derek continued placing kisses around Stiles' navel, eliciting more laughs. "Seriously Derek! Your facial hair tickles!" Derek was very careful of the placement of the kisses, wanting to avoid the scar on Stiles' side from where the electrical probes had permanently blemished the soft, pale skin. He still wasn't sure how Stiles would react to something like that.

After kissing Stiles' neck, Derek attempted to remove his fiancé's jeans, but as he slid down, he realized that one of his belt loops had caught itself on Stiles' belt. "Fuck," he growled. Stiles only laughed, helping them get un-stuck, then pushed down his own jeans before pulling off Derek's, which came off much more easily. Two months of sexual frustration were evident as Derek took Stiles into his mouth. Stiles gripped the couch beneath him and watched as his cock disappeared into his lover. Derek was good at what he was doing, but Stiles didn't like just receiving.

He pulled Derek off of his task and suggested they do something else. They quickly learned the price of waiting so long between sexual encounters when Derek was suddenly wracked with an orgasm, shooting into Stile's mouth before he could even pull off Stiles' dick to warn him. The force of his climax shook him so hard that the two men fell off the narrow couch, landing on the floor with a groan. Derek flushed bright red. "I'm sorry… I… uh… that's never happened to me before."

Stiles chuckled, signaling that he was fine with it.. Derek quickly got up and ran into the bedroom, returning with the box of condoms and the bottle of lube. He knelt down near Stiles and began preparing his lover, kissing the younger man the entire time. That was one thing Stiles could give to Derek! It didn't take him long to be ready to go again. After Stiles was reasonably stretched, Derek put on his condom and started slowly pushing into his lover. Once he was all the way in, he stayed still, wanting to give Stiles time to adjust. That only made things feel worse. "Derek… please… start moving."

Derek began slowly thrusting his hips, and while the slow movements were pleasurable in their own way, Stiles wanted something a little more rapid. "Faster…" he urged. Derek picked up pace. Stiles found himself writhing beneath his fiancé, losing himself in pleasure. Sweat began dripping down Derek's face and chest. Stiles felt a bit of pain. "Ah… cramp!"

They changed positions yet again. Both men were now on their knees, Derek was thrusting into Stiles from behind as the two of them kissed. But as the kiss broke, Stiles understood why he only ever saw this position in porn. It looked better than it felt. "Let's try something else…"

They moved again. Derek was lying on his back, Stiles straddled him, moving up and down at a comfortable pace. Derek's hands explored his lover's body while he thrust upward, creating an awkward rhythm. Still, it brought Derek to climax again, this time more vigorously than before.

Stiles climbed off of Derek, who looked even more embarrassed. Stiles couldn't help but laugh at the scowl that appeared on Derek's face.

"What's so funny?"

"Well… this has been the best sex I've ever had," Stiles gave an ironic chuckle, propping himself up so he could look into Derek's eyes.

"You don't have to rub it in my face like that," Derek snapped, avoiding eye contact, wounded pride lead to a defensive edge in his voice. "I feel bad enough that I got off twice and you haven't even once. I wanted it to be romantic. We're engaged now."

Stiles snuggled closely to Derek, resting his head on Derek's shoulder, his hand finding comfort on his lover's chest. "I didn't mean it like that," he cooed. "We're not always going to have that mind-blowing awesome sex. Sometimes it's gonna be… well… like this."

"But that's selfish! I shouldn't be the—"

Stiles moved his hand, placing a finger on Derek's lips to silence him. "Don't ruin it. Sex with you is fun. And you clearly enjoyed yourself. That's what matters to me."

Derek knew he wasn't going to win this, but he still didn't like the feeling that he had been a selfish lover. He reached down and began stroking Stiles, who became instantly hard. Derek's grip was both rough and gentle. It was sensual, but powerful. His strokes caused Stiles to both tense up and melt into him. Stiles felt the orgasm build slowly. His breath quickened and within moments, he exploded into Derek's hand.

As the waves of ecstasy continued to wrack his body, Stiles pressed himself closer to Derek who was able to clean up the little mess he made by wiping it on one of the t-shirts that were closest to him. He then wrapped his arm around Derek, holding him tightly. "That was pretty awesome," Stiles sighed.

"Sex isn't supposed to be just one-way," Derek replied in a gravelly voice.

Stiles rolled his eyes, even though he knew that Derek couldn't see him. "Did it ever occur to you that I like seeing you get off? And that it kind of gets me off? Let's face it. You're a top… I think we could go so far as to say alpha."

"Alpha?" Derek scoffed at the notion. "I don't even like the connotation that brings. It implies that I'm somehow better than you… that my needs matter more. I don't think that's true. So if I'm your alpha, then you're mine."

"I think I can agree to that," Stiles mused as the two quickly faded into the most restful sleep either of them had gotten in months.

* * *

**Author's note**: Sorry this one took so long to write. It's not easy writing a sex scene that's purposely supposed to be not sexy. I hope it came across the way I intended. I want to issue a special thanks to a great friend of mine (you know who you are!) for her help with this chapter. As always, please review! I also changed the description as it appears at the top of the page. What do you think? I really suck at writing summaries. .


	15. Chapter 15: Dust Bowl Dance

Too many nights at home and Stiles was beginning to feel restless. He was able to find another job, this time without Derek's influence. Sure, it was a job as a barista, but Stiles found that he was actually very good at it, and he enjoyed the contact with customers. The manager allowed him to choose his own hours, and Stiles once again felt as though he was contributing to the household, especially since they were planning a wedding.

Derek seemed to be tired a lot, despite the fact that little had changed to warrant it. Sure, they were having a lot more sex, which was becoming more and more exciting, especially after that night that Derek preferred to call "The Fucking Fiasco", being a fan of the double entendre the name invoked. The two had made it a mission to explore each other's kinks and it was making everything much more fun. But Stiles wanted to do other things too. That night at dinner, Stiles decided to bring it up. "We rely too much on one another."

Taking a moment to let what Stiles said sink in, Derek finished chewing his food and swallowed slowly. "I'm sorry. I don't know what you mean."

"I mean that we spend every night together. We always stay home. I'm not entirely sure you even know another person," Stiles said. "What if we get stuck in one of those mid-life crisis ruts before we even get married?"

Derek's eyebrows raised. "What sparked this?"

Stiles sighed. "I just need a little variety. I'd like to meet the people you hung out with before you met me. I'd love to go to a club and get back home when everyone else is going to work. We're too young and we're too hot to live like old men."

"You're the most adorable old man I've ever seen," Derek chuckled.

"I'm being serious!" Stiles groaned. "Please?"

Derek nodded. "If it means that much to you, then yes. Friday, let's hit the town. We're both off Saturday, so we can get as crazy as we want."

"You're the best!"

The week, it seemed, took forever to pass. Stiles' shifts at the coffee shop were eternal, but when he clocked off Friday afternoon, he raced home, barely able to contain his excitement. When Derek finally came home, he found a freshly-showered but naked Stiles in the bedroom, various articles of clothing neatly spread throughout the room.

Derek walked up behind him, wrapping his arms tightly around his fiancé. "I love coming home and finding you in this state of dress. Are you sure you don't wanna stay home and make love?" he whispered into Stiles' ear then gently kissed him on the cheek.

Stiles put his arms over Derek's, holding them closer. "If you want to have sex right now, we can… but we're still going out tonight."

A lustful growl emanated from Derek's throat as he began removing his clothes in record speed. A silky tie found was tied around Stiles' head, cutting off his vision. He trusted Derek implicitly, so he went with it. Derek gently guided him onto the floor and on his back. He heard the bedside drawer open, some rustling, the sound of lube being squirted, and then felt Derek stroking him with a lubed hand. Stiles moaned freely, loving his lover's touch. There was a little more rustling, then he felt his dick sliding into Derek's entrance. Derek felt warm and tight around him, but Stiles began to panic when he realized that Derek hadn't put a condom on him. He pulled off his impromptu blindfold and tossed it aside, the moan of pleasure unintentionally escaping his lips before he managed to pull it all back together. "Derek! What are you doing?!" he demanded.

There was a look of concentration and discomfort on his face. "I want you inside me so badly…" he grunted and soon, Stiles was balls-deep inside his lover.

"Derek… I don't have a condom on!" Stiles protested.

"It's okay," Derek insisted.

"No," Stiles argued. "It's not. Get off me."

Derek nodded and pulled off. "What's wrong?"

"You can't play Russian Roulette like that! Not when I'm the bullet!" Stiles chided.

"What are you talking about? We were just having sex…"

"No," Stiles corrected him. "You were trying to have _unprotected_ sex. I won't risk your health like that."

Derek frowned. "We're faithful to each other. Who cares?"

"I care!" Stiles urged. "I've been with a lot of men, Derek. It would kill me if you got sick because of me."

"But you're fine!"

"Men rarely show symptoms! And passive partners are much more likely to be infected. Think about who you're trying to argue this with!" Stiles continued. "I'm a former prostitute, Derek. You know that. Please. Just use a damn condom."

Derek nodded. He went and grabbed a rubber and rolled it onto Stiles' dick before adding more lube. Both men moaned as Stiles' cock disappeared into Derek. When Derek was once again all the way on him, he asked, "If we both go and get tested and it comes back clean, can we try it?"

Stiles thought for a moment. "Only if we test again in three months, and that's clean too."

Derek agreed to those terms and Derek started moving up and down on Stiles, easily adjusting to the fullness he felt. It wasn't long before Stiles exploded into the condom and Derek onto Stiles' chest and stomach.

"Now we need to shower," Stiles said, watching the sweat drip down Derek's chest.

* * *

The club they decided on was huge. The dance floor was on a separate floor from a social area where they could just sit down and enjoy themselves. Derek surprised Stiles by having Danny, Isaac, and Scott show up. They all started the night with some drinks. Shortly after, a woman with long dark brown hair joined them. Derek introduced her to the group as his friend, Allison.

"So you _do_ have friends?" Stiles teased. Scott could barely contain his drool and immediately asked her to dance. Stiles snuggled closely to Derek, starting to feel his whiskey sour. "She's cute. Where did you meet her?"

"We work together," Derek replied. "She made several tries… but seeing as I don't play for her team..."

Danny, Isaac, Derek, and Stiles finished off their drinks and reserved the table they were at so they could return later before heading down to the dance floor.

As they made their way through the crowd, Stiles could feel the pounding of the base in his chest. He could barely hear anything his friends or his fiancé were saying to him, but it was fine because once they started dancing, the world faded away. Stiles preferred to dance in a way that mimicked sex with clothes on. Isaac and Danny were dancing in the same fashion. After a while, they switched up dance partners and Stiles danced for a bit with Danny, but it was quite short-lived because Stiles didn't change his dance style and Derek couldn't help but think about the fact that the two of them had more than likely had sex while working for Peter and jealousy was beginning to rise.

The group returned to the table to find Allison and Scott making out. "So where is Jackson?" Stiles asked, thankful that the volume level was conducive to conversation.

The former call boys remained silent for a moment. Scott even stopped kissing Allison. "No one has really heard from him. He split shortly after we left," Scott said. "I kind of figured he went back for Danny."

"Why?" Derek asked.

"Jackson always had a… _thing_ for Danny," Isaac explained.

"He just wasn't my type," Danny shrugged. The fact that Danny stared at Stiles didn't slip Derek's notice, causing the jealousy to surge again.

"So can we see the rings?" Isaac asked excitedly. "We need to start planning your wedding soon!"

Stiles and Derek showed the group their engagement rings. "Scott, you're my best friend. Would you be my best man?" Stiles asked. Danny did his best to hide a pained grimace, but Derek noticed that, too and felt a little better.

Allison smirked at Derek. "I could be your Maid of Honor!"

"Whoah!" Derek protested. "Who says _I'm_ the bride? Besides… I was sort of wanting to do something small and intimate."

"Well, it's not like we have a whole lot of friends and family we can invite anyway," Stiles lamented. Derek conceded that point. "Besides… these guys are like brothers to me."

"All this wedding talk is boring," Danny complained. "Can we go back to dancing? I'm sure Scott would rather continue playing kissy-face with Allison anyway."

"Did you really just call it 'kissy face'?" Scott scoffed. "What are you? 12?"

"Since when are you the sarcastic one?" Stiles chided. "Stay out of my territory!" The guys shared a laugh before leaving the two of the new lovebirds to continue kissing.

Back on the dance floor, Derek was acting weird. Stiles couldn't quite put his finger on it, but he knew something was up. It wasn't until Danny tried to dance with Stiles again that he figured out exactly what was going on because Derek shoved Danny away, nearly forcing him to the ground. "You two!" Stiles yelled, pointing to them both, "Outside. Now!" They exited with Isaac following. When they were finally outside, and Stiles could hear himself think again, he did not hesitate to lay into them. "What the fuck was that?"

"Why don't you ask your boyfriend," Danny spat. "He's had it out for me all evening."

"Because you've been eyeing him like you want to get into his pants!" Derek protested.

"And if I did?" Danny countered, a coy smile curling his lips.

Derek's fist reared back and he lunged. Stiles stepped in front of him, glaring defiantly as Isaac held Danny back. Not taking his eyes off of Danny, Derek growled, "I don't want you hanging out with him anymore."

Stiles raised his eyebrows, truly shocked by what Derek said. "Excuse me? I don't think you get to make that decision."

"Then I don't want you alone with him."

"Again, not your decision, Derek!" Stiles snapped. His temper was rising. "We're getting _married_. You're not taking ownership of me."

"I'm just trying to protect you!" Derek roared.

"From whom, exactly?" Stiles asked. "Because I really just wish you'd man up and say what you really feel: you don't trust me."

"I _do_ trust you, Stiles," Derek replied. "It's him I don't trust. Sex doesn't mean as much to him. Once a whore, always a whore."

Danny and Isaac winced at those words, which tore through Stiles, causing more damage and bringing more pain than Kate ever could have. He fought hard to keep tears from welling into his eyes. "Finally some honesty…" he choked, backing away from Derek.

"That's not what I meant!" Derek insisted.

"No, actually I think that's exactly what you meant," Stiles said softly, the first of the tears beginning to make their way down his face. He turned around and started walking away from Derek as quickly as he could. Isaac and Danny followed.

"Stiles! Come back! Please" Derek called, starting after him. "Where are you going?"

"Go fuck yourself!" Stiles shouted back, raising his middle finger as he continued running, clutching his chest with his other hand at the very real pain he felt. He felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. He had no doubt it was Derek, but he ignored it as he rounded the corner. Something Peter once told him began to echo in his head: "In the end, no one ever loves the whore. They love the feeling the whore brings them, and eventually they grow tired of sex masquerading of love."

* * *

**Author's Note: **Updates are probably going to come pretty slowly for the next few weeks because finals are approaching and unfortunately, that takes precedence over Sterek. Let me know what you thought of the chapter! And I've come to a point where I've run out of Mumford and Sons songs, so I'm going to start using other songs and I'll just make sure to specify the title and singer in an author's note so that you can listen along. Until next time!


	16. Chapter 16: Dead Sea

This chapter is named for the song "Dead Sea" by The Lumineers.

* * *

Stiles woke up next to Isaac. They were in the brothel, which was now abandoned. "It's about time you woke up," Isaac sighed. "This bed creaks a lot and I didn't want to disturb you, but I really need to use the bathroom."

"TMI, buddy," Stiles groaned, still not fully coherent. It took him a moment to remember why he was even there in the first place. "Once a whore, always a whore." Derek's voice filled his mind and he heard it with frightening clarity. It hurt just as much as it had last night.

"Where's Danny?" Stiles asked once Isaac had returned.

"He's upstairs. He wanted to keep his distance," Isaac replied.

"Why?" Stiles asked.

Isaac's eyebrows rose. "Seriously?"

"What?"

"You went apeshit when we got back here! You were screaming and you almost beat the shit out of him! He has a pretty gnarly black eye," Isaac told him. He also tossed Stiles' phone to him. There were a number of missed calls from Derek. Stiles ignored those. "When you exhausted yourself, I brought you in here and stayed by you just in case."

"You didn't help him?"

Isaac shrugged. "I thought he kind of deserved it."

"How do you figure?"

"Because Derek was right. Danny has a huge crush on you and he wasn't doing anything to hide it last night," Isaac conceded. "Derek didn't know that when he invited us, and I never expected Danny to be so in-your-face about it… especially in front of me."

"Are you two an item?" Stiles asked.

"Lately, I thought so. We never really defined it. I know he reacted badly to you leaving," Isaac replied. "I think I was just an easy choice for him…"

Uncomfortable with this discussion, Stiles tried to change the subject back, "But what Derek said…"

"Was awful. And you two should handle that on your own. But don't be too harsh on him. Danny knows how to push buttons," Isaac said.

Stiles admired his ability to be a voice of reason.

"I just can't believe how easy it was for him to go there, ya know?" Stiles sighed. He certainly had a lot to think about, but he also needed to apologize to Danny. He hugged Isaac, thanking him for his advice and headed upstairs.

As he walked through the abandoned brothel, he found it hard to breathe at times. There were so many awful memories in this place. He felt his pulse race as he walked past the stairwell leading to the basement where he had been tortured. He saw the different bedrooms where men used him. As he ascended to the second floor, he passed through Peter's quarters where he spent many nights chained up, being beaten and fucked unmercifully. His chest tightened until he got into the third floor. The tightness in his chest was replaced with butterflies in his stomach as he approached the room Danny was in.

When he saw Danny's face, he winced. He couldn't believe he did that to his friend. "You're not here to kick my ass again, are you?" Danny asked, moving away from Stiles.

"No," Stiles whispered, shaking his head slightly. "I came to apologize. To be honest, I don't even remember it happening."

"You aren't the only one who needs to apologize, either," Danny sighed, plopping onto the bed. He motioned for Stiles to sit next to him. "I was a complete ass to you, Derek and Isaac."

"There was once a point when I thought you and I would end up together, you know," Stiles told him as he sat down.

"What changed that?" Danny asked.

Though he knew the answer was probably not the one Danny wanted to hear, Stiles knew it was an answer Danny _needed_ to hear. "Derek."

"But he doesn't respect you! You heard what he said!" Danny protested.

Stiles leaned over and kissed Danny. The two men deepened the kiss, allowing it to go on for several enduring moments before Stiles pulled away slowly. "I love you Danny-boy. I will always love you. But I'm not in love with you. I'm in love with Derek. What we went through in this place… it's a bond that will connect us until we die. No one can tear that apart. But romance? It wasn't in the stars for us. Derek is who I need. He's helped me pick up the pieces more times than it's fair to ask. And I never have to ask, he just does it."

"I could do that for you!" Danny promised, placing chaste kiss on Stiles' cheek.

"Not in the way I'd need you to," Stiles insisted. "And you didn't just hurt me with the way you acted last night. You also hurt Isaac. He really cares about you."

Danny nodded. "If he ever hurts you… I swear to God I'll rip him apart." He hugged Stiles tightly.

"I'll hold you to that," Stiles chuckled. "Now I'm going to go back to my apartment. You need to go downstairs and help Isaac pick up his pieces."

Stiles got off the bed and headed out, beginning his walk to the apartment. He checked his phone, thankful that Isaac had thought to charge it overnight. He had quite a few text messages, all from Derek.

"_Stiles, I'm sorry. Please come home. I'm worried about you."_

"_At least let me know that you're okay."_

"_God damn it, Answer me please!"_

All of them said basically those three things. Except for one. It was the last one sent.

"_I know I fucked up. Big time. I made a commitment to love you. All of you. Not just the parts that are easy to love. I can't give you an excuse and to be honest, you don't deserve an excuse. You deserve an apology. I'm not asking you to forgive me because I don't forgive myself. I'm just asking that you let me know you're safe."_

Stiles finished reading the text and wiped a tear from his eye. "You're going to be the death of me, Derek," he said softly, putting the phone back in his pocket. He wanted to prepare a speech for when he got home, but decided that he would just speak from his heart.

As he let himself into the apartment, he had a moment of fear that they had been robbed. Book shelves were flipped over, the contents scattered across the floor along with shards of crystal that used to be decanters for scotch and wine. There was a hole in the drywall of the hallway leading to the bedroom.

Slowly, cautiously, he made his way into the bedroom. He saw Derek lying on his stomach, a mostly-drained bottle of Bourbon still in his hand, which looked bruised and bloody. He managed to get his shoes and pants off but was still wearing his socks and shirt. Stiles went to his side, gently nudging him. He awoke with a gasp. "Stiles?" He let the bottle fall. Luckily there wasn't enough left for it to spill onto the carpet as Derek pulled Stiles close. "I am so sorry," he whispered, holding Stiles tightly in his arms.

After several minutes, Stiles pulled away from the hug. "You and I need to talk," he stated very matter-of-factly.

Derek's face sunk. "No good conversation ever starts that way," he said.

"This isn't going to be a fun conversation," Stiles agreed. "But it's a necessary one. I need to know… why did you act the way you did last night?"

Derek averted his eyes shamefully. "I got so jealous… so angry… at the thought of someone else touching you the way I touch you. And I know that other men have, but I don't like it because I know that other men don't appreciate you… that it doesn't mean the same thing to them…"

"But what you said…" Stiles started.

Derek cut him off, "I meant it towards Danny, not you."

"That doesn't make it any better. He and I both did the same thing and sometimes even with each other," Stiles replied. "I have a past. A very long one and I thought you understood that."

Derek winced at the mention of Danny and Stiles having had sex. "I _do_ understand that, Stiles. I just don't always understand how that affects your life with me because that stuff is behind you. And you had no choice in the matter."

"And neither did Danny. Those of us who worked for Peter… we were each other's family. We fulfilled each other's needs because no one else would. Something like that creates a bond. And unfortunately, Danny was in love with me and he didn't like the fact that I chose you. It doesn't excuse his behavior last night, but if we're going to move past this, I need to know that next time you feel a little jealousy you won't take such a low blow. I would have preferred you punch me in the stomach than to have ever heard that come out of your mouth," Stiles confessed.

Derek nodded his understanding, tears welling in his eyes.

"And I need you to trust me. I have history with them. History that you might never understand, and that's okay. I just need you to respect it and know that at the end of the day, I'm coming home to you. I'm choosing to spend my life with you. Soon, we're making the ultimate promises to each other. I need to know that you aren't going to freak out every time one of them acts a little affectionate towards me," Stiles continued.

Derek leaned forward, he pressed his lips to Stiles' then whispered, "I will never hurt you like that again. I realized last night that no matter what, the thought of losing you is just too scary. I don't want a life without you in it."

"So we're agreed?" Stiles clarified.

Derek brought his hands up, one rested on Stiles' neck, the other on his head, fingers entwining themselves in Stiles' hair, their lips connecting once again. Derek's tongue worked its way into Stiles' mouth, a comfortably familiar territory. Stiles allowed himself to get lost in Derek's caresses and before he knew it, the two were without any clothing. Derek was grinding his hips against Stiles, whose hands were exploring Derek's back and ass. Unable to stave it off any further, Derek desperately reached into the drawer of his bedside table and grabbed a condom and lube.

Stiles welcomed his lover into him by wrapping his legs around Derek's waist as he felt himself stretch around and be filled by Derek's girth. It felt amazing. Stiles relished the mixture of pleasure and pain that Derek always brought and Derek could barely contain himself as he challenged himself to go further into Stiles than he ever imagined possible, making his fiancé sing and dance beneath him, entirely lost in his ecstasy. Stiles began to stroke himself, but Derek pinned his hands, preventing it so that he could take the task himself. Stiles could feel his orgasm building with a steady power, and based on the increasing speed and strength of Derek's thrusts, he could tell that Derek was close too.

Derek pulled all the way out, then buried himself entirely into Stiles with one last powerful thrust, driving them both over the edge. Derek filled the condom as Stiles showered their torsos with the product of their love-making. Derek stayed inside Stiles, managing to wipe the semen off of them and move so that they were cuddled closely together. His dick was incredibly sensitive, but he truly enjoyed how it felt. Stiles did, too. He pulled Derek's arm so that it wrapped around him.

"I love you, Stiles," Derek whispered in his lover's ear.

"I love you too," Stiles whispered back.

"I didn't want that to end," Derek confessed.

"Me neither. But we can do it again…"

"I'm going to need a few minutes, unless you want to top me," Derek replied.

Stiles laughed, "I'll need a few minutes too. And you've been quite the bottom lately."

Derek moved his hips slightly, bringing a jolt of pleasure to them both, causing Stiles to let out a gasp of delighted shock. "I love watching the look on your face and knowing that I'm making you feel like that. It's the sexiest thing in the world." Derek kissed Stiles' neck.

"Go on," Stiles urged both the kisses and Derek's description which was causing him to harden again.

"Your skin gets that glow that only comes from sex. Then you stare into my eyes and it's like I'm the most important thing on earth to you. I see your freckles and the little moles on your skin and the way your body moves as you get closer." Derek could feel Stiles tighten around him as his fiancé's breath started quickening. "And that little bead of sweat that starts at your temple and travels down your face, to your neck, then your chest before it falls onto me…" Stiles began bucking his hips ever so slightly. Derek continued, "And you always make sure I'm taken care of before you finish, like me getting off is what sends you over the edge, then we fall on top of one another and ride it out together. It drives me abso-fucking-lutely wild for you. Every single time." He felt Stiles clench tightly, crying out Derek's name as another orgasm wracked his body.

"Oh my fucking God, I didn't know that could even happen," he gasped.

"Me neither, I'm just glad it did," Derek chuckled.

Exhausted, Stiles could feel sleep coming over him, but he was once again in Derek's arms and everything was okay. The mess in the living room could wait until later.

* * *

**Author's Note: **See? Happy resolution to that fight. But now... on to the wedding! And I'm going to point out... we haven't seen the last of Peter. :) Thanks for reading and please! Let me know what you thought of the chapter!


	17. Chapter 17: Heaven

This chapter is named after the song "Heaven" By Depeche Mode

* * *

The plans for the wedding were close to final. The grooms had only to agree on a cake. Ever the pragmatist, Derek was pushing for a traditional white design cake, but Stiles wanted something more unique. "How many times has a white cake been done at a wedding? It's a cliché. C'mon, Derek! This one's perfect!"

"It's practically fluorescent!" Derek growled in response.

"It's vibrant! Like our love," Stiles replied.

Derek choked back a laugh. "I'm sorry, I think that sentence just gave me diabetes. Quick! I need insulin!"

Stiles was beginning to see that he wasn't going to win this one, which was okay because Derek had let him have his way on nearly everything else. The only other thing Stiles hadn't 'won' was the vows. The vows were the only detail on which Stiles maintained a more traditional mindset, wanting to recite the time-tested "'til death do us part". Derek insisted that they write their own.

"Okay, we'll go with the boring white cake," Stiles teased.

Derek leaned over and kissed Stiles. "Thank you," he whispered after the kiss broke. Derek grabbed his phone and called the bakery, placing the order. When the call was done, Derek pulled Stiles to his feet and pretended to dance with him for a few moments before pulling Stiles close to him. "In two months, you are going to be Mr. Genim Hale. How do you feel about that?"

"I think that if you ever call me 'Genim' again, the wedding is off," Stiles replied… mostly jokingly. "I'm starting to regret telling you my real first name."

Derek kissed Stiles' nose. "We're gonna be married soon. We shouldn't have secrets like that."

"Like you don't keep secrets from me locked up in that handsome head of yours…" Stiles retorted.

Derek started to speak, but then he stopped and averted his eyes. He looked sad. Sadder than Stiles had ever seen him. His nostrils flared slightly as he turned his head further away from Stiles.

"Derek, what's wrong?" Stiles asked softly.

The response took several long moments. Stiles had never seen Derek like this. "There's something you should see," he managed.

Stiles nodded, following Derek to the car. They drove in silence for several hours, just holding hands. Stiles didn't try to coax any more information out of Derek, figuring that it would all come out in time.

When the drive ended, they were at a cemetery. In the center of the cemetery there stood a large marble building. Derek got out of the car and started walking towards it. Stiles followed. When they got to the building, Derek unlocked the door, allowing them in. No expense had been spared in the building of the mausoleum. The Hale name was engraved in the floor. There were statues of three people. Stiles stopped in front of the statue with the shiny gold name: "Laura".

"She was my sister," Derek explained. "This is my family."

"I'm so sorry," Stiles replied. Derek hugged Stiles tightly. "Why didn't you tell me about them?"

"I don't really like to talk about it," Derek replied. "It was my fault."

Stiles pulled away, furrowing his brow in disbelief. "What do you mean?"

Derek sat down on a bench, "There was a fire… I left the gas for the stove going because I had been playing with the knobs. We went to go do something… I don't remember what. It's such a blur. But when we got home, my parents and sister went inside. I stayed outside because I thought I saw something in the woods by my house. My father was a smoker and he went to light up a cigarette and the house exploded."

Stiles sat next to Derek, putting his arm around him, as Derek pulled closely to Stiles, tears now falling down his cheek and onto Stiles' shoulder. Derek began sobbing. "That wasn't your fault, Derek. It was an accident," Stiles told him. He let Derek cry for as long as he needed, wondering how long his fiancé had been living with that sort of guilt, and the toll it must have taken on him.

After a while, Derek finally sat up. His eyes were red from crying. Stiles wiped away the tears that remained on his face. "I've been holding on to that for so long," Derek whispered. Derek was amazed at the relief he felt from having finally shared this with someone.

"It's not just your job to help me, you know," Stiles told him. "I'm here for you, too."

Derek smiled at him, consumed with the myriad of emotions. He stood, pulling Stiles up with him. They walked back to the car and drove home in silence.

* * *

Three weeks until the wedding. Stiles had a constant feeling of butterflies in his stomach. So much so that he even googled the proper term for a group of the little bastards: kaleidoscope. It seemed almost poetic, but it didn't put him at ease at all. The testing Stiles and Derek did as part of their condom negotiations had come back negative, both times. Stiles didn't feel as excited about it as Derek did, but the two of them agreed that they wouldn't try that until after the wedding.

Stiles didn't even know where to begin when it came to the vows. After dinner one night, he was so consumed with nervous energy that he decided to reorganize the office room. Derek eventually helped him. As Stiles began going through the paper on the desk, Derek practically fell over himself to grab a slightly wrinkled scrap of notebook paper before Stiles could actually read it. "That's… you can't read that," Derek explained. "Vows."

"You've already got them written?" Stiles asked in disbelief.

"You don't?" Derek replied with a laugh, then the laugh faded. "You don't, do you?"

Stiles shrugged. "I've tried. I'm just not good at the whole writing thing. Every time I sit down with a pen and paper, it's like I suddenly forgot the English language. That's why I wanted to do the old fashioned vows."

"Just write from your heart," Derek suggested.

Stiles glared. "You don't think I tried that? My problem is that how I feel about you… I don't have words for. What you mean to me… on paper, it makes as much sense as the stupid Jaberwocky poem my English teachers used to rave over."

Derek considered what Stiles said. He carefully folded up his vows and placed them in his back pocket. "Then say what makes sense, in a way that makes sense to you."

Stiles' eyes widened as the depth of what Derek said sunk in. He knew exactly what he was going to do.

* * *

Two days to go. The anxiety was starting to crush Stiles, but he had just 48 hours. The guest list was confirmed. The coffee shop's owner was even closing down that day so that all of the staff could attend, then the reception was being held there since there was ample space. Some of Derek's coworkers were going to take him out for his bachelor party. Allison promised Stiles that she would deliver him to the gardens where the wedding was slated to take place promptly, soberly, and in one piece.

Scott made the same promise to Derek. He and Allison had grown close in the last few months. They were practically inseparable. Stiles asked him about it, having always assumed Scott was gay. Scott shrugged. "Yeah, I like guys… but I never said I didn't like girls too. And Allison… she's amazing. I honestly think she's the one."

That made Stiles smile. He was glad his best friend could have the happiness he had with Derek. As the men reached their destination, Stiles saw that Danny and Isaac were waiting on them. Isaac looked happy as he hung onto Danny. Of course, Scott chose a male strip club for the Bachelor party. "So cliché," Stiles remarked with a laugh.

They enjoyed themselves. Each of the men bought Stiles a drink, which Stiles accepted. Several of the dancers paid special attention to Stiles since Scott made it his mission to ensure everyone knew that Stiles was getting married.

When it got to the point that Stiles could barely walk, let alone have a decent conversation, they left. However, on the way out, Stiles got a glimpse of a dancer in one of the private sections. He could have sworn it was Jackson, but maybe it had been the alcohol…. He couldn't tell.

Scott reserved a hotel room for them until the wedding, and Stiles guessed he spent quite a lot of money on it. They were rather high up and had a beautiful view of the city. The next morning, Stiles awoke with a hangover which Isaac quickly offered to cure with a bloody mary. Stiles refused and chugged some water.

The day passed quicker than Stiles wanted, each hour contributing more and more to his anxiety. That night, Stiles didn't even try to sleep. Instead, he went out to the balcony and looked over the city. He could actually see the apartment building where he lived with Derek. It was far, but then again, they were in one of the top floors of this hotel. Isaac joined him outside.

"Can't sleep?" he asked.

Stiles chuckled. "What was your first clue?"

"It's really happening, isn't it?" Isaac asked. "You're getting married."

Stiles smiled. "I never thought I'd see this day."

"Well, technically, you haven't yet. It's not even midnight," Isaac replied.

"Good point," Stiles conceded. "This time tomorrow, I'm going to be with my husband. It even sounds weird."

Isaac continued gazing out over the city. "I'll try to make sure Danny doesn't get too drunk tomorrow."

"What do you mean?"

Isaac let out a sigh. "He wishes he were in Derek's place. I know it."

Stiles looked away, unable to truly face his friend. "I'm sorry, Isaac."

"It isn't your fault. He told me about the talk you two had. I know I'm always going to be second-best to him. I just wish I were competing with someone else," Isaac's voice started to crack.

"Isaac, you're not competing with me," Stiles urged embracing Isaac.

"This isn't easy on us," Isaac told him. "It's not easy to love a man who loves someone else."

"I know," Stiles agreed.

"No, actually you don't," Isaac corrected. "Because you love Derek and he loves you. When he looks at you, it's like you can tell that every moment his mind is consumed with you. When I look at Danny, I see the _exact_ same thing."

"I'm not sure what you want me to do, Isaac," Stiles snapped. "Tomorrow, I'm walking down the aisle and marrying Derek. I can't control how Danny feels."

Isaac nodded. "I know. It just hurts. A lot."

"Have you ever considered that there is someone else for you?" Stiles asked.

"I don't know that I'd ever be able to find someone who understands what we went through the way he does," Isaac confessed.

"Well, if you find someone who truly loves you… they'll be able to get through that," Stiles said.

Silence fell over them. Finally, Isaac said, "You need to get some sleep. You've got a big day ahead of you tomorrow."

Stiles followed his friend back into the room. Danny and Scott had fallen asleep already. Stiles gingerly lied down next to Scott and miraculously, he ended up falling asleep.

* * *

Derek was antsy. His tuxedo was on, Allison was helping him tie the bow tie. "Good luck, Derek!" she mused before leaving to line up in the queue of groomsmen. Soon he heard his cue. He did his best to hide his nervousness. He couldn't believe this day had come. He was marrying the guy he loved, in front of people he'd come to love as family. A new chapter of his life was about to start. Slowly, he started down the aisle, which was a beautiful carpet of red rose petals. Allison, Erica, and Boyd, his favorite coworkers stood on his side of the arch. Scott, Isaac, and Danny on Stiles'. Danny actually looked like he was physically pained, which brought a slight smirk to his lips.

* * *

In Stiles' tent, he had chosen to get ready alone. He paced back and forth. The weather was great for the out-door ceremony. He was about to get everything he dreamed of, but why was he so nervous?

"Your tie is a little crooked."

Stiles spun around so quickly his vision went slightly blurry. Peter was standing in front of him. "What are you doing here?" Stiles asked, his voice shaking.

"You didn't think I'd miss this important occasion, did you?" he replied. "I mean after all, I've fucked both the grooms. I hear one of them used to be quite the little slut."

"You will not ruin this for me," Stiles commanded.

"Oh, calm yourself," Peter mused. "I'm just here to wish you luck."

"You're never just somewhere for the fuck of it," Stiles argued.

"Interesting choice of words," Peter chuckled.

Stiles could barely hear his musical cue over the sound of his racing heartbeat. "Get the fuck out you psycho."

"Such claws from a harmless little puppy," Peter joked. "And I'm not a psycho." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a bottle of pills, shaking them slightly. "Not anymore. I'm on mood stabilizers."

* * *

The crowd was beginning to murmur. "Where the fuck is Stiles?" Derek whispered to Scott.

Scott shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know! He was in his tent last I knew…"

"Maybe someone should go check on him?" Allison suggested, looking pointedly at her boyfriend.

"On it!" Scott replied. Announcing to the crowd, "Stiles just probably doesn't know how to do his tie. I'll be right back!" before running back down the aisle to Stiles' tent.

"Stiles!" Scott called. "Everyone's waiting on you, buddy."

Stiles shot a worried look at Peter, who was making a motion like he was pulling a zipper over his lips. "I… I'll be right out…" Stiles called back, not taking his eyes off Peter.

"Are you okay? You want me to come in?" Scott asked.

"N-no," Stiles stammered. "Just let Derek know… I'll be out in a few."

When he was sure Scott had walked away, Stiles returned to his conversation with Peter. "Please, just go. I don't want any more disruptions. It's great you're finally on meds… but right now, I have a man waiting to marry me."

"Here… have this," he said, reaching into his pocket, pulling out a watch. "It was my father's. The plate is sapphire and I had the diamonds installed on the hands. We can just pretend it was borrowed. That way it's got that whole old, blue, borrowed, new thing going on."

"Why?" Stiles asked, suspicious.

"Why not?" Peter replied. "Now go. Derek's waiting on you."

"This isn't finished," Stiles warned.

"Oh not by a long shot," Peter chuckled. "I just don't want to ruin your wedding day. See you after the honeymoon." Peter then ducked out of the tent and Stiles quickly took his place to start down the aisle.

He could see the relief on Derek's face that he hadn't been left at the altar. Once he was standing beside Derek, he felt the anxiety soar. The justice of the peace began speaking. Eventually, it was time for the vows.

Derek went first, taking out the folded sheet of notebook paper. "Every day I wake up next to you, is a day I am thankful for. I never thought I'd be able to love someone as much as I love you. So I stand before you today, to promise you that there is not a force in this universe that can stop my love for you. I will be there by your side throughout the adventure we have ahead of us. Every up, every down. I will be your partner, your friend, and your husband for as long as we both shall live."

Stiles then had his turn. He didn't pull out any paper. Instead, he followed Derek's advice. "I never thought this day would happen for me. So in front of you and our friends, I make these promises: I will love you. Forever. I won't complain when you want to watch sports, but I want to do something else. In 50 years, I'll stifle my urge to smother you with a pillow," Everyone laughed. "I will stand with you as we ride this crazy thing called life and I'll make sure we have an absolute blast. Because Derek, our lives going to be one now… and it's going to be amazing."

Derek smiled broadly. That was the best thing he had ever heard, and it was _so_ Stiles.

They exchanged rings. Then the justice announced: "I now pronounce you Mr. and Mr. Hale. You may kiss your groom."

Derek pulled Stiles close, dipping him back and kissing him deeply, eliciting a thunder of applause and a couple of whistles.

As they walked back down the aisle holding hands, Derek looked at Stiles, kissing him again before whispering: "I'm the happiest man alive."

* * *

The reception was fantastic. Everyone had a lot of fun, and when it was time, a limo came up and whisked the happy couple away to the airport. Stiles fell asleep on the plane, his head nuzzled closely to Derek. When their plane touched down in Honolulu, the men woke up and gathered their belongings in search of a cab to their hotel where Allison and Scott had gifted them a week in the Bridal Suite.

The hotel was actually more of a resort and it was gorgeous. Their suite had its own private beach, a kitchen, and a huge king-sized bed. Stiles spun around trying to take in the majesty of it all. When Derek entered, Stiles lunged on him, kissing him intensely and deeply before Derek even had a chance to see the place.

Derek having been horny since plane ride, went along with it. They had 7 days to explore the resort. Tonight, they were going to explore each other.

Derek picked Stiles up, carrying him over to the bed. He pulled off Stiles' clothes as he took his own off, leaving both men comfortably nude. Hands roamed freely as the passion between them soared to new heights. Derek stopped only to grab the lube. He took Stiles into his mouth as he slowly inserted a finger, causing his husband to buck slightly in his pleasure. Before long, there was another finger, then another and Stiles felt like he was about to explode. Reading all the signs, Derek stopped what he was doing and added a bit more lube to himself and entered Stiles slowly. The sensations were entirely new. Flesh against flesh. Derek tried to hold off a bit longer but he couldn't. And with loud moans, he emptied himself into Stiles.

"My turn!" Stiles replied as Derek collapsed beside him. The sensation had been odd, but he loved it. He began to prepare Derek before he pushed inside. Derek felt soft, inviting. He was also incredibly tight. Stiles thrust gently, eliciting moans like he had never heard from Derek before. After a few more minutes, Stiles could contain himself no longer and erupted, sending torrents into Derek, who found that he liked the sensation a lot more than he anticipated.

They kissed for a few minutes before taking a shower together that led to Stiles leaning against the wall, Derek furiously pumping into him as the steamy water rolled over their skin. Stiles couldn't get enough of Derek and even after the shower, they christened the bed once more before the newlyweds finally passed out from exhaustion.

* * *

**Author's Note**: Thanks for your patience! Sorry it took so long... Term papers are not nearly as fun to write as Sterek fanfiction. I hope you liked the chapter! Let me know! I'm thinking the next chapter is going to be pretty much all sex. :)


	18. Chapter 18: Love Love Love

This chapter is named for the song "Love Love Love" by Of Monsters and Men

* * *

Stiles woke first, roused out of slumber by a combination of the light and the sound of waves crashing on their private beach. He had no idea how much money Scott and Allison spent, but it had to be quite a bit for something like this.

He quietly rummaged in his bag until he found some comfortable clothes and the watch Peter gave him just before the wedding and took it outside, finding a comfortable spot on the shoreline. He gazed out over the water before returning his focus to the watch. His first question remained: why? Peter never did anything good just because he wanted to. There had to be something more behind this. It truly was a beautiful watch. He could practically see himself reflected in the sapphire. The other question that faced him was how to or even if he should tell Derek. He felt awful that he was less than 24 hours into married life and he already had a secret from his husband, but could he really burden Derek with something Peter-related on their honeymoon? Then again, how would Derek react if he found out after the honeymoon and knew that Stiles had been keeping it from him. In his eyes, it was a lose-lose situation… And perhaps that was Peter's goal.

Hearing approaching footsteps, he quickly shoved the watch into his pocket. "I had this vision of waking up this morning to look in your eyes," Derek said as he reached Stiles, bending to place a kiss on Stiles' forehead.

"I figured I'd let you sleep a bit," Stiles replied. He gave a wry smile. "You really wore yourself out last night."

Derek sat down behind Stiles, wrapping his arms and legs around his husband, pulling him close. "Is that true, now?" he asked.

Stiles leaned his head back, nuzzling Derek's scruffy cheek. "It's how I remember it happening," he mused.

"Are you sure you were there? I don't remember it happening quite that way…"

"Maybe we'll have to do a replay, just to be sure…" Stiles whispered into Derek's ear.

"How about right now…"

Stiles made a strange sound.

"What?" Derek asked.

"The sand… what if I make a pearl or something?" Stiles crinkled his nose up.

Derek burst into laughter, mostly because he wasn't entirely sure if Stiles was kidding. "It'll be the most beautiful butt pearl in the world. We'll fashion it into a lovely earring."

Stiles didn't reply, he just sat there, loving the feeling of Derek wrapped around him, looking out at the ocean on their own private beach. _A guy could get used to this_, he thought.

The sound of Derek's stomach jolted both men out of their quiet reverie. "Somebody's hungry," Stiles murmured. "Let's get some breakfast."

Derek stood first, then helped to pull Stiles to his feet. The men walked back into the suite holding hands. The fridge was well-stocked with fresh fruits, vegetables, and cheeses, as well as eggs, ham, and other grocery items. "This place really makes you feel like home…" Derek mused as he pulled out some ingredients and began making omelets. As the smell permeated the rest of the suite, Stiles realized just how hungry he was. After what seemed like an eternity (really only 10 minutes), Derek put a plate in front of Stiles before sitting down to his own plate. "Our first breakfast as a married couple."

Stiles was already digging in and simply nodded his agreement, savoring the food.

"What do you want to do today?" Derek asked.

"You," Stiles replied with such speed and nonchalance that Derek nearly choked.

"Okay, we can definitely arrange that, but what else?"

"I've always wanted to see a volcano," Stiles answered.

"You can look out that window and see a volcano," Derek replied hesitantly.

Stiles looked at him, tilting his head.

"Volcanoes scare me," Derek confessed.

"Really?"

"Yeah. They really scare me. A lot."

"But you agreed to a honeymoon in Hawaii…" Stiles clarified.

"Only because Allison promised me we'd be on the opposite side of the island from the volcano," Derek said.

"Okay… anything else you want to do?" Stiles asked.

"Snorkeling?" Derek suggested.

"Okay," Stiles agreed. "Let's do it."

Derek chuckled. "Sorry, confusing wording..."

Stiles smiled. "Oh, we'll do that too." He grabbed the phone and called the resort's concierge, setting up a time for them to meet the instructors. "We have three hours until we have to be at the main beach entrance," he said as he hung up.

Derek smirked, knowing exactly how he wanted to spend those three hours. He walked around the table and straddled Stiles' lap. "Breakfast and a show?" Stiles asked, wrapping his arms around Derek's neck.

Their lips connected fleetingly, as Derek had different ideas about where he wanted to put his. "Scoot back…" he urged.

Stiles moved his chair back a bit and Derek moved off of him, pulling Stiles' pants down and engulfing him entirely. "Oh dear God!" he exclaimed at the pleasurable surprise. Derek knew exactly what he needed to do to drive his husband wild, and he did all of it. Stiles orgasm was so strong that he ended up gripping his chair hard enough cause bruising on his hands. Derek looked up at him, satisfied with his job well done. "Where… wha… you've never done that before," Stiles panted, his head lolling to the side as he basked in the afterglow of his ecstasy.

* * *

The snorkeling instructor greeted them as they approached. Derek was walking slightly lop-sidedly because Stiles had just drilled him on every surface in their suite. Both men were already in their wet-suits and carrying their gear. The instructor had a few cards with images of fish and other creatures to avoid. He went over proper rip-tide survival techniques, and then wished them luck. Stiles was in the water first. The ocean was so clear that he honestly felt that he didn't even need the goggles, though as the two of them ventured further into the water, the majesty of the sea life struck them both.

They spent several hours exploring before hunger and fatigue drove them back to shore. They showered together in their suite, so excited about the things they saw underwater that they didn't stop talking about it even through lunch at one of the on-resort restaurants. Normally a big fan of seafood, Stiles couldn't bring himself to order fish after seeing what he'd seen that morning. Instead, he got a steak. Derek started to order salmon, but the horrified look on Stiles' face prompted him to quickly order steak instead.

"You were walking more easily," Stiles noted with a smile. Derek blushed deep crimson, causing Stiles to giggle.

"I'm just not used to it…" he whispered.

"No judgment!" Stiles replied. "My walk out to the beach this morning wasn't without its difficulties."

"I don't know what it is… but since that ring went on my finger, I can't get enough," Derek confessed, choking back a laugh.

"I know!" Stiles agreed. "I've had the hots for you since we first met… but never like this."

"I'll drink to that," Derek said, picking up his wine glass and clinking it against Stiles'. "So there's something I wanted to talk to you about."

Stiles raised his eyebrows, swallowing the wine that he sipped.

"We never discussed expanding our family…" Derek started. Stiles' eyes widened, though he tried his best to hide the fear they might have betrayed. "I was wondering if you would like to become a dad, and if so, when."

Stiles thought for a very long time. Several instances found him starting to say something, but stopping. He never had a good relationship with his father, possibly because his mom had died giving birth to him, and he spent much of middle and high school slacking off, despite the fact that he could have, with minimal effort, been a straight-A student. "There was a time when I thought I wanted to become a father, but to be honest, I put it all aside when I started working for Peter because I never thought I'd get out of it alive or in any mental or physical state where I'd be fit to raise a child," he admitted.

"What about now?" Derek asked.

Stiles sighed. "I don't know." Derek looked slightly crestfallen, making Stiles feel worse. This was supposed to be a good, easy lunch and now it was awkward and sad. "What do you want?" he asked.

"I always wanted to pass on the Hale name," Derek said.

"Then we should," Stiles replied. "But can we wait a bit?"

Derek smiled, nodding. "Of course."


	19. On Top of the World

This chapter is named for "On Top of the World" by Imagine Dragons.

* * *

"Dad." Stiles mulled that word over. He wasn't sure how he felt being called that name and especially not "Daddy" since many of his clients had a penchant for that Father/son role playing thing. But he spent the next few days considering the possibility of when he might be ready to become responsible for another life. He hadn't made many good decisions regarding his own life. Falling in love with Derek was probably the first one.

Then there was that other nagging item of the sapphire watch. He wanted to punch Peter in the face for tainting his honeymoon like this. Eventually, he decided he had to talk to Derek about it. It was a betrayal not to. As Derek sat beachside with a book in his hands, Stiles brought out two glasses of wine. Though they looked evenly poured, Stiles had actually poured himself a great deal more and had drunk some of it down to strum up the nerves to have this conversation.

"Hey!" Derek said excitedly as Stiles sat down next to him, handing over one of the glasses.

"So remember how at the wedding, it took me a little longer than you expected for me to come out of the tent?" Stiles started.

"Yeah," Derek replied before freezing. "You're not rethinking the marriage, are you?"

"No!" Stiles exclaimed. "Of course not! But something _did_ happen while I was in there. Peter showed up. He said he was on meds and he wanted to give me a gift." Stiles dug in his pocket for the watch, pulling out.

The grimace on Derek's face melted into shocked disbelief as he saw the watch. "I can't believe he'd give that to you at our wedding…" he whispered, taking the watch from Stiles' hand, examining it. "Then again… it's Peter. So yeah, I would believe it."

"I know I shouldn't have kept this from you… I just didn't want to ruin our honeymoon with it," Stiles said, expecting Derek to blow up, but finding himself rather shocked at the reaction he got instead. "What is it?"

"It was a gift he gave me when we were dating," Derek answered after swallowing a large gulp of the wine. "It went missing after we broke up. I assumed he either took it… or that it got lost."

"Why would he give that to me?" I asked, disgust coloring my voice.

Derek shook his head. "After all this time, you're still trying to figure out what's going on in his head? He's insane. No amount of medication is going to change that."

"You're right," Stiles agreed. "And I don't want a relic of your relationship with him."

"Let's toss it in the ocean," Derek suggested, reaching his arm back, ready to give it a good whirl.

Stiles stopped him. "Tides can always bring it back. We need to dispose of it in a more permanent manner."

"What do you mean? The trashcan?"

Stiles turned around, his gaze resting on the giant mountain that was the volcano this island formed around. "No… I say we dispose of it Hobbit style."

* * *

"This is a bad idea," Derek mumbled as they followed the tour guide.

"Nonsense!" the guide replied jovially. "I've been leading these tours for decades. You picked a great day, too… lots of activity."

Derek glared at Stiles. "Hear that, _sweetheart_!" Derek's voice was biting. "There's lots of activity!"

"Do you want to get rid of this watch or not?" Stiles murmured.

"You owe me," Derek replied.

"A debt I'll gladly repay!" Stiles winked.

The hike was actually quite beautiful. So much so that Stiles didn't mind getting up early. The tour guide rattled off various facts about the volcano and the manner in which it shaped life on the island and complicated life for native Hawaiians from time to time. Stiles was surprised at how fascinating he found all of the information.

They knew they wouldn't be able to toss the watch into the caldera, but both were okay with that as long as the watch got engulfed by lava.

Luckily, their tour guide understood that they needed this item to be buried and didn't require much explanation. He got the men as close to the lava as he could. Stiles let Derek be the one to do it, since it was from _his_ relationship with Peter. When it sank into the lava and was covered by still more, the two men hugged tightly. "Maybe now he's out of our lives."

"We can only hope."

* * *

That night in the hotel room, no longer encumbered by the guilt of the secret he'd been carrying, Stiles was on Derek like a man possessed. His hips rolled as he crawled up his husband's body, craving the sensation of being filled by him. But he wanted to make Derek wait for it until his body ached and his mind was occupied with nothing but the prospect of being inside Stiles.

Stiles tightly bound Derek's arms above his head, biting Derek's bottom lip as he pulled away from a kiss. He allowed his ass to hover over Derek's cock, making his husband moan in anticipation. As he made his way down Derek's body, Stiles paid attention to his chest, taking the time to swirl his tongue around his husband's pert nipples. Derek whined in frustration, his cock jumping slightly.

"Stiles… please… just fuck me…" he begged.

Stiles grinned. "Patience is a virtue, Derek."

"Do I look particularly virtuous to you right now?"

Stiles kissed Derek's stomach before moving down to help his husband out a little. The tip of his tongue danced over the head of the engorged cock. Derek bucked slightly, his pleasure heightened by his lack of control. "Stiles please…"

"All in good time," Stiles replied, taking the head of it in his mouth, swirling his tongue around it before allowing it to sink to the back of his throat. Derek's body tensed.

"That feels so good…" he moaned, his hips bucking slightly. Stiles loved knowing the effect he had on Derek. It made him return to his task with more vigor, using his mouth, tongue, and throat to whip Derek into a complete frenzy before pulling off at the last possible moment, causing him to writhe in frustration. The pout he gave was too much. Stiles couldn't help but to give in to his demands.

Straddling Derek's body, Stiles applied lube and slowly began the task lowering himself down onto his husband. He relished the feeling of his body stretching to accommodate the man he loved. Derek did his best to control his urge to buck up into Stiles, not wanting to cause him any discomfort. Once he was all the way on his lover, Stiles began riding up and down, staring intensely into Derek's eyes. Though his body was telling him to loll his head, moan, and close his eyes, he forced himself not to. He kept eye contact. Derek was the first person he'd ever been able to do that with… eye contact was special. Especially during sex.

His skin glistened as sweat formed. He rested his palms on Derek's chest, continuing to raise and lower himself onto Derek, feeling the push and pull as his husband's cock moved inside him.

"Stiles… I'm close…" Derek grunted through gritted teeth. Stiles leaned forward, never ceasing his movements, and pressed his lips to Derek's. As their tongues played hide and seek, Derek's self-control waned and several thrusts were all it took for him to come inside his husband. "That was amazing," Derek breathed into Stiles' ear.

* * *

Their honeymoon came to a close and reluctantly, they boarded the plane to head back to reality.

It felt good to find a routine as a married couple. But as weeks dragged on, Stiles realized just how empty their place was. Images flitted through his head of them chasing an adorable child around… the silence of the home interrupted by laughter. The pristine condition being swapped for the evidence that a child resided there. For the first time in his life, Stiles felt a longing to be a parent.

As they sat for dinner one night, Stiles prepared himself to broach the subject and quite possibly make Derek's year.

As he opened his mouth to speak, he was startled by a loud knock on the door. He shot a worried glance to Derek who slowly rose from his seat and approached the door, looking through the peep hole. "It's Scott… he's carrying someone…"

"Open up!" Scott's voice sounded. Derek quickly obeyed and Scott dragged in an unconscious Jackson. He looked nothing like the cocky confident kid Stiles had known. He was thin… pale… his hair was greasy and there were marks on his arms that really only indicated one thing. "I found him in a park. Your place was the closest."

Stiles quickly called 911 and the three of them worked hard to keep Jackson breathing until medics could arrive.

Once at the hospital, Derek, Stiles, Isaac, Danny, and Scott waited while the doctors worked to stabilize their friend.

"Why didn't he come to one of us?" Isaac asked.

Danny just stared at him, a look of guilt marred his face. "We abandoned him. We never went back to find him."

"Stiles finally broke his silence. "The night of my bachelor party… I thought I saw him..."

"Why didn't you say anything?" Danny asked.

"I was plastered."

"If something happens to him…" Scott started, but Derek placed a hand on his friend's shoulder.

"Don't blame yourselves. You all were risking your lives to escape Peter. Jackson made his own choices," Derek said.

A tear fell down Danny's cheek. Isaac hugged his boyfriend tightly, fighting tears himself. The doctors were going to run tests once he was stable… but for now, all they could do was wait.

* * *

**A/N:** So… I know it's been more than 3 months since I updated this story. I just had a complete block. Hopefully you liked the new chapter and it was worth the wait. I know now how I want to end the story, and while I can't promise that I'll be able to do it quickly (I have several other stories I'm in the process of writing too), I'll do my level best! Please give feedback! It's always appreciated.


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